Six for Six as Webber wins in Monaco

We now have six different winners in six races this Formula 1 season as Mark Webber won from the pole at the Monaco Grand Prix. If Michael Schumacher had had a better race in Spain, he would be at the front of the grid in Monaco, but due to a penalty his pole setting time was pushed back five spots on the grid. Instead, Webber started on pole. 

The start of the race was nothing but hectic with several cars in the middle of the pack colliding, and it brought the safety car out on the second lap. The crash affected Vitaly Petrov. Pedro de la Rosa, Romain Grosjean and Michael Schumacher. Grosjean clipped Schumacher with his rear wheel. It broke Grosjean's suspension sending him into the middle of the pack picking up de la Rosa. Pastor Maldonado also crashed during the first lap in an apparently unrelated incident. Petrov and Schumacher were able to stay in the race. 

Reports of rain began during lap 8 about 15 minutes into the race with the prediction was that it would start in earnest around lap 30. During lap 10, Kamui Kobayashi retired his car due to damage suffered from the opening melee. 

The threat of rain kept the drivers out on the worn tires with Mark Webber still leading. Despite the wet weather threat, the drivers could not take the tires anymore and started pitting around lap 30. One of the few drivers who stayed out was Sebastian Vettel who decided to stay out 16 more laps and wait for the rain that began sprinkling on lap 39. 

At lap 43 of 78, the leaders were Vettel, Webber, Nico Rosberg, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa. By lap 46 there might have been a few sprinkles but absolutely no significant rain. At lap 50 the teams changed their mind and said that they no longer expected rain. 

On lap 63, Jean Eric Vergne passed Schumacher for 7th. On lap 66, Schumacher pulled into the pits and ended his weekend due to some mechanical fault. 

On lap 70/71 the rain finally started to come. That packed the cars together. With 7 laps to go the race finally got interesting. It should have been like this the whole time. Button got a puncture after spinning on lap 72. It slowed him down and brought out a yellow flag. By lap 73, the rain had mostly stopped again. With five laps to go the cars were packed together tightly with Webber in the lead with Rosberg and Alonso behind him. Button came in due to his puncture and did not go back out. 

In the end, Webber won from the pole with Rosberg behind him and Alonso in third. Vettel was fourth and Hamilton was fifth. All of the drivers from Button in 16th and below did not finish the race. 

Alonso now leads the drivers' points championship with 76. Vettel and Webber are tied for second with 73 points. Hamilton is in third with 63 points. Red BullRed BullAustria, 2004 > present12 models
1049 photos
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leads the constructors' standings with 146 points with McLarenMcLarenUnited Kingdom, 1963 > present92 models
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in second with 108 points and LotusLotusUnited Kingdom, 1952 > present68 models
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and FerrariFerrariItaly, 1947 > present233 models
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are tied for third with 86 points.