MONTE CARLO: Australian Mark Webber won the showcase Monaco Grand Prix for defending champions Red Bull as Formula One celebrated an unprecedented six different winners in six races so far this season.
Webber led a processional but close race, with the top-three separated by less than a second at the finish as the rain held off despite darkening skies and occasional drops.
Germany’s Nico Rosberg finished second, 0.6 seconds behind Webber, with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso third, who went three points clear at the top of the overall championship standings.
“I’m feeling incredible,” said the Australian. “It was an interesting race. It’s an amazing day for me and my team and I’m really happy to have won here again.”
Alonso was also a pleased man. “The target was to try to finish in front of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton,” said Alonso. “We took Hamilton at the stop with a perfect time and a perfect stop again, so well done to the team.”
The top five were split by just 4.1 seconds, running nose-to-tail through the hairpin, with Webber’s teammate and double world champion Vettel fourth ahead of McLaren’s Hamilton.
A downpour would have shaken up proceedings and without it, there was precious little overtaking or incident with 15 of the 24 starters finishing, what was for most, a one-stop race.
Vettel had moved up from ninth place at the start by completing 46 laps on his first set of tyres. Hamilton dropped from third on the grid to finish fifth, losing his two places in the pits courtesy a stop that was six tenths of a second slower than those of Vettel and Alonso.
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa finished sixth, a big relief for the under-pressure Brazilian who had scored just two points from the first five races. Mercedes’ Michael Schumacher retired after 64 laps. REUTERS
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2012.
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