Weather holds for Webber’s nail-biting win
AUSTRALIAN Mark Webber won the showcase Monaco Grand Prix for champions Red Bull yesterday as Formula One celebrated an unprecedented six different winners in six races this season.
The top three were separated by less than a second at the finish, with Germany’s Nico Rosberg of Mercedes second, 0,6 seconds behind Webber. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was third and a further 0,3s adrift to go three points clear at the top of the overall championship standings.
Webber led the nail-bitingly close race from pole position to chequered flag as a threatened deluge held off despite darkening skies and occasional drizzle.
It then chucked it down once Webber had accepted the trophy from Prince Albert, sprayed the champagne and hugged Red Bull designer Adrian Newey.
It was Webber’s first win since Brazil at the end of last season, the eighth of his career — and Red Bull’s third in a row, all from pole, around the treacherous metal-fenced streets and crowded harbour-side of the millionaires’ playground.
There remained a question mark over the result, however, with talk sweeping the paddock ahead of the race of a possible protest by rival teams questioning the legality of his Red Bull’s floor.
Red Bull rejected that and Webber, winner in Monaco in 2010, was ready to party.
He stood on his car and punched the air in triumph.
“It’s an amazing day for the team, myself and really happy to have won here again,” said the winner, who told reporters he did not accept victory was in the bag until the very last corner of the last lap.
“It’s Monaco. You never get ahead of yourself here because you get bitten in the arse,” he said.
The top five were split by just 4,1 seconds, running nose-to-tail through the hairpin, with Webber’s team-mate and double world champion Sebastian Vettel fourth ahead of Mclaren’s Lewis Hamilton.
Alonso has 76 points with Vettel and Webber both on 73.
A real downpour would have shaken up proceedings in the Mediterranean principality 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.
“We’ve had a great three years here,” said Newey, whose team are the first to win two races this year.
“Mark drove flawlessly. The weather was a real concern, but he did a great job to do what he needed to do.”
Vettel, last year’s winner, 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 thanks to a stop that was six-tenths of a second slower than those of Vettel and Alonso.
“The target was to try to finish in front of Sebastian and Lewis as they are with us in the championship,” Alonso said.
“We took Hamilton at the stop with a perfect time and a perfect stop again, so well done to the team.”
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.
Michael Schumacher, who had set the fastest time in Saturday’s qualifying but was denied a first pole since 2006 due to a five-place grid penalty carried over from Spain, retired in the pits after 64 laps.
Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, heroic winner of the previous race in Spain, crashed out on the opening lap after starting in last place for Williams thanks to two separate penalties. Reuters