Advertising drives racing. The cars have sponsors. The race has sponsors. The TV and radio broadcasts have sponsors. We expect it and accept it. Watching F1 and the Monaco Grand Prix we’re in awe at the beauty and diversity of the city and the view. The Marina is filled with blue sea and watercraft of every design. The cityscape rises set against the view of the hills. The sponsor banners line the streets with every color.

At best, they present a subliminal impact as they eye is drawn to the speed and road clinging action of open wheel power amidst the tight turns and narrow straights that make up the course in this showcase city with French and Italian influence.
There is a flash of Johnnie Walker, UBS, Pirelli, Shell V-Power, DHL and Zepter. We don’t know what Zepter is but from the tunnel we get flashes of “Home Art” and “Cosmetics”.

Maybe it is the European equivilant to Wal-Mart…

The broadcast on SPEED did well to showcase the race and track sponsors. The commercials in the broadcast were, for the most part, targeted towards the automotive enthusiast. Castrol, Mobil 1, Mazda, Chevrolet, Mercedes…

Bosley. Apparently, someone believes racing fans are losing their hair because they were on quite often. Everybody knows real race fans wear race team sponsor caps so who needs hair?

Magic Jack. It’s a gadget that uses your internet to make phone calls. Now they say you don’t need a computer to use it. Maybe it really is “magic”.

Hot Rod Grills. OK, we get it. It is a BBQ grill fashioned to look like a V8 engine with headers and chrome and all that. However, your back yard party guests will love it more than you do. The only real reason to get one of these is to show it off. In order to do that you will have to host a lot of BBQ parties. Beyond that, you better know what you are doing. Cooking skill, like driving, is not improved by simply buying equipment. Buying an AMG Mercedes is not going to make you a better driver any more than a V8 grill will make you a better chef.

Face it. If you are pulling meat out of your new Hot Rod Grill it better be “Gordon Ramsey” good or your guests will look at you as if you just put your AMG Merc in the wall on lap one.

Between the commercials for grills, motor oil and a full head of hair there was some good racing from Monaco. The weather threatened rain and there were some strategic moves with tires by the Red Bull teams. They put their cars on different tire compounds to cover the options of a wet or dry track. The rain held off giving other teams the chance to level out with the tire options. The tight turns and varied surfaces of the streets were hard on the softer tires but as the race progressed with dry conditions the Red Bull strategy seemed to play out as Mark Webber drove to the win.

Nico Rosberg put the Mercedes in for the second spot and Fernando Alonso drove the Ferarri to third. F1 veteran Michael Schumacher was out with mechanical issues. His qualifying technically won him the pole position but earlier penalties from racing in Spain put him 5 spots back on the grid to start. This put Mark Webber in the “one” spot.

The opening laps saw contact, a spin in the pack and an airborne hop. Romain Grosjean clipped Alonso, Schumacher was squeezed toward the barrier as Grosjean spun in the face of the field. Kamui Kobayashi made tire contact and went airborne with a bounce to the outside. The field split around the spun Lotus of Grosjean for the caution.

Following the weather strategy with the teams, the chase on to catch Webber and the beautiful views showcased in the coverage made for a good race. Monaco is the sixth race of the season and presents the sixth winner as well. Webber’s Red Bull team mate, Sebastion Vettel, won earlier in Bahrain giving Red Bull the top points spot.

The rain held. The tires held. Red Bull and Mark Webber won the day. Victory celebrations and trophy presentations explained the presence of Bosley hair restoration commercials.

All that remains is firing the V8 for hot dogs and more Memorial Day weekend racing. The Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 are on as well. Pass the mustard and let’s go racing!