Australian Mark Webber contributed to Formula One history on Sunday when
he steered his Red Bull to victory at the Monaco Grand Prix. Webber's
win meant six different drivers have won the opening six races of this
season — the first time this has happened in the history of the world
championship.
Webber's second win in the principality — and the eighth of his career —
also marked Red Bull's third successive win at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Webber, 35, started from pole position and controlled the race almost
throughout as the local micro-climate delivered its usual capricious
weather, moving from sunshine and blue skies to rain for the closing
laps. But driving with great control and judgement, he finished
six-tenths of a second clear of Nico Rosberg of Mercedes, with two-time
champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso third for Ferrari.
Sebastian Vettel was fourth for Red Bull ahead of Lewis Hamilton of
McLaren and Felipe Massa, came home sixth in the second Ferrari. A mere
1.3 seconds separated the top four, as the race finished in dramatic
fashion.
Webber's first race win this season lifted him to joint second in the
drivers' standings alongside teammate Vettel — both three points behind
leader Alonso on 76. Hamilton is fourth on 63 and Rosberg fifth with 59.
Briton Paul di Resta came home seventh ahead of his Force India
team-mate German Nico Hulkenberg, Finn Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus and 10th
placed Brazilian Bruno Senna of Williams.
Webber made a clean and controlled start to turn the 10th pole position
of his career into a comfortable early lead ahead of Rosberg with
Hamilton also running clear of the field in third. It was a different
story, however, for the men behind the leading trio as Frenchman Romain
Grosjean, starting fourth, was touched by the charging Mercedes of
sixth-placed Michael Schumacher and spun before the first corner. This
allowed the Ferraris of Alonso and Massa to move into fourth and fifth
places ahead of the mayhem where Pastor Maldonado crashed out in his
Williams after making contact with Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa's Hispania.