And we are back for what is arguably the most watched Formula 1 Grand Prix of the year: the Monaco Grand Prix.
But first, on Glen's good suggestion, I want to show you how easy it is to play this game, since the top drivers tend to always be the same.
All you need to do is to guess the first four drivers to cross the finish line.
Here is a recap of what the winning guesses would have looked like for the previous five F1 Grand Prix this year:
1. Australia:
- Raikkonen
- Alonso
- Vettel
- Massa
2. Malaysia
- Vettel
- Webber
- Hamilton
- Rosberg
3. China
- Alonso
- Raikkonen
- Hamilton
- Vettel
4. Bahrain
- Vettel
- Raikkonen
- Grosjean
- di Resta
5. Spain
- Alonso
- Raikkonen
- Massa
- Vettel
So only 9 drivers have been among the top four in any GP so far this year! Not too bad I would think.
So don't be shy and take your pick!
But first, the rules:
You need to have at least 20 posts and 20 days at Stampboards to take part in this contest.
There are four prizes.
They could go to the same person, or to different people.
Each participant designates his or her imaginary podium, plus the fourth place finisher, in the order they wish (winner, second, third and fourth).
One guess per Stampboarder.
1) Prize One for the person who first guesses the winner.
2) Prize Two for the first person with the highest number of championship points for their imaginary podium.
3) Prize Three for the first person to correctly guess the podium, in the correct order.
4) Whenever prizes are not won, they will roll into the Prize 4 category for the next GP, and can be obtained by the first person who gets all four finishers in the right order (and this person of course would also win Prize 3 for that particular GP).
If Prize 4 does not get attributed by the last GP of the season (because it is indeed much more difficult), then on the occasion of that last GP, we will revert to the previous rule, until the jackpot is won. This should add, I hope, an interesting twist to the proceedings...And now for the prizes, all of Monaco stamps (even if they were printed in France!)
- Prize 1 is a progressive color proof of a 1956 stamp commemorating the discovery of America by Columbus. It is not in fact in the final adopted colors, but it is very interesting as a testament to the technical know-how of the French, who invented the 3 and 6 color intaglio presses (known as the TD-3 and TD-6 respectively).
This strip shows four colors, progressively applied, and is in MNH condition. A very nice memento of this technical prowess that I picked up in Melbourne last week...
I have added as a little bonus to prize 1 a very topical set issued in 1967 to commemorate the 25th Monaco F1 GP. These are all nice engraved stamps (and MNH, although I'm not 100% satisfied with the condition, hence it's only a bonus here) and show race cars through the years up until that time:
- Prize 2 are three stamps issued to commemorate another great automobile tradition of Monaco: the rally of Monte-Carlo.
These were in fact the first three stamps to do so, issued in 1955 (on the occasion of the 25th edition of the rally), 1956 and 1958. They are all three MNH (the third stamp has a small black spot on the back though, but is still in very nice condition):
- Prize 3 is a little gem: it's a proof on thin sunken cardboard of a stamp that is part of a set issued in 1933 to 1937, and that shows the Church of Sainte-Dévote, which I chose because the church also gave its name to one of the turns of the Monaco Grand Prix circuit.
- And of course prize 4 is composed of the prizes that have not been won yet in the previous Grand Prix:
The Spanish set issued in 1930 commemorating the discovery of America by Columbus:
Two sets issued in 1939, one to help the renovation of the historical home of Rubens in Antwerp, and another one (the third of four such sets) to fund the reconstruction of the Abbey of Orval (yes, they also make beer there...):
In the following scan from this set, I couldn't resist showing the full color view, from a stamp issued in 1996, of the painting representing Suzanne Fourment, who was the older sister of Rubens' second wife. The portrait is kept in the National Gallery, in London.
Now, it's all over to you and your guesses.
Please don't forget: we need 4 names now, not just three!
Cheers,
Joel.
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