Sunday 27 May 2012

Mark Webber wins intense Monaco Grand Prix


Mark Webber held off a charging Nico Rosberg to win the Monaco Grand Prix, recording his second victory at The Principality in the space of three years and becoming the sixth different winner in as many races this season.

Webber takes the checkered flag in Monaco
Starting from pole position after the demotion of Michael Schumacher for his five place grid penalty, Webber maintained his lead off the line and was able to hold on after his one stop strategy, winning from Rosberg, Fernando Alonso and team-mate Sebastian Vettel as the rain started to fall.

Lewis Hamilton was fifth, the McLaren driver losing ground during the pit window despite starting from the front row of the grid. Team-mate Jenson Button also endured a frustrating race, sliding out of the race on lap 72 after nudging the back of Heikki Kovalainen's Caterham.

An incident packed start saw contact between Romain Grosjean and Michael Schumacher, the provisional pole sitter tipping the Lotus into a spin and into retirement. Further back, there was also contact between Jenson Button and Kamui Kobayashi and Pastor Maldonado and Pedro De la Rosa, leading to an early safety car situation. Although Button and Schumacher were able to continue, the others were not so fortunate.

When the safety car disappeared, Mark Webber maintained his lead gained from the start with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and the fast starting Ferrari duo in close attendance. Vettel, starting on the soft compound tyre and gambling on one stop, was also an early beneficiary, jumping to sixth from his starting position of tenth.

With overtaking opportunities around the tight confines few and far between, the key moments were always going to come down to tyre strategy and the all important pit stops. Rosberg was the first to blink, pitting for a new set of soft compound tyres on lap 28, followed by Webber and Hamilton two laps later. It triggered a flurry of pit stops, Alonso gaining a place on Hamilton in the process thanks to slick work from the Ferrari crew.

Webber maintained his lead from Rosberg and despite the onset of light rain on lap 66, the Red Bull driver was able to hold on for a well deserved victory in fading light, becoming the sixth different winner in as many races in this most remarkable of starts to a Formula One season.

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