Monaco Grand Prix Race Round Up

Webber Shines Brightest As The Stars Come Out For The Monaco Grand Prix

On a perfect day for racing in the small principality Mark Webber put on an almost perfect drive to ensure he took the chequered flag in first place on Sunday in Monaco. Webber, who becomes the first Australian to win the street race since Jack Brabham in 1959, started on pole after pipping Robert Kubica, with what many have described as a perfect lap, in saturdays final session of qualifying. And he never lost his position at the front of the field, as the Australian managed to get his Red Bull Racing car first into turn one and pull away from a chasing pack.

However as history tells us, the Monaco grand prix always throws up a few thrills and spills to entertain the crowds, and cause havoc for the drivers. Sundays race was no exception. After Nico Hulkenberg collided with the barriers exiting the tunnel on lap 1 the safety car was deployed and remained out for the first 6 laps of the race. The pack bunched up behind Webber as the leader was prevented from extending any sort of read over his World Championship rivals. However it was the McLaren of Jensen Button that suffered most from the introduction of the safety car. Due to a mix up at McLaren that resulted in a bung being left in the a cooling vent of his side pod, Button's engine over heated under the slow place of the safety car forcing last years World Champion to retire after only 3 laps.

Once normal racing resumed Webber pulled away again from Vettel and the remainder of the field, whilst at the back of the pack, the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, who started from the pits due to a crash in practise saturday morning that prevented him from qualifying, started to work his way past the F1 newbies. After being stuck behind Lucas Di Grassi of Virgin Racing for almost 3 laps Alonso made short work of the Lotus' and Hispania Racing cars eventually moving himself into 10^th place.

As Alonso pilled on the pressure, thanks him making his mandatory pit stop on lap 2, the front runners began to make their stops to prevent the Spaniard from passing them when they pitted. Hamilton, Vettel and Kubica all pitted around lap 22-23 and managed to retain their positions.

As many of the front runners came in Nico Rosberg found clear air and managed to post the fastest lap of the race. It was not enough for him to gain leverage on the leaders as Webber exited the pits with Rosberg in his rear view mirrors. Rosberg was unable to extend his gap over the chasing group and after pitting on lap 29 he was forced to rejoin behind Alonso, Hamilton, Massa and his team mate Schumacher.

The safety car made its second appearance of the day after Rubens Barrichello smashed into the barriers at the top of the hill at around 170mph thanks to a failure at the left rear of his car. Webber's 15 second lead was wiped out as the cars bunched up as Rubens wreckage was cleared from the track.

After the cars were again allowed to race, it was Webber that again took the initiative and stretched out another healthy lead. Robert Kubica, who was looking to retake second place back from Vettel after the young German overtook him at the start of the race, pulled out a number of fastest laps and filled the Red Bull drivers mirrors with his Yellow and Black Renault.

However another incident forced the safety car to come out, as the race stewards suspected a lose drain cover on the road could cause a major accident. Once the safety car pulled back in from its third outing Webber, again, pulled out all the stops to pull away from the chasing pack, as Vettel and Kubica, were joined by Massa in the fight for second.

Monaco's tight streets continued to hamper the drivers ability to overtake, as the race processioned through the principality. Much of the races action seemed to be over until Lap 74 when Jarno Trulli, attempted to slide his Lotus up the inside of Karun Chandhok at Rascasse. As the two touched the Lotus went straight over the top of Chandhok's Hispania car taking both parties out of the race. The incident happened yards away from the front of Mark Webber's car as he managed to avoid the nasty tangle of the two back markers. It also brought out the safety car for the 4^th and final time in the race. With the safety car coming in on the last lap, it allowed Webber to take the chequered flag under racing conditions and win the most prestigious Grand Prix on the calender.