And meanwhile, at Monaco ...

... the Mercedes have taken the front row.  Which is not surprising.  The problem with the Mercedes is that they are blisteringly fast in qualifying, but once the race starts their tires wear out faster than anybody else's and they usually finish in the 5th-12th range.

I wouldn't care except that the second row is populated with Red Bulls.  And once the Mercedes blow up, the Bulls will be in the front.  Which is bad, because it is really difficult to pass at Monaco.

Alonso, in his Ferrari, is in the 5th spot.