Webber victory inspired by sleep sensation

Mark Webber said he wanted to win the Monaco Grand Prix and celebrate it by keeping his feet on the ground.

He did that on Sunday when he revelled in "the greatest day of my life... a real ripper for me" and then recalled how his father Alan's snoring almost upset his victory preparations when he won the Monaco F3000 race in 2001.

Asked to compare his wins on the famous street circuit, in 2001 and 2010, he talked about his family sleeping arrangements.

"We didn't have so much money then so we were all sharing a room together," he said. "Me, Ann (Webber's partner), my dad and some friends.

"I wanted a good night's sleep before the race, but my dad - he can cut some wood with his snoring."

Webber said that to make sure he slept well, he had to move a mattress during the night - a memory that was cast in glowing light after his famous triumph this time.

"I made sure I didn't have that kind of problem this time," he said. "We all slept better and it was important, too."

The 33-year-old Red Bull driver became only the second Australian to win the Monaco Grand Prix.

Jack Brabham won in 1959 and Webber was honoured to succeed him, but stressed that while it was a great day, there was a lot of work to do yet - and it was too early to talk of winning titles.

Webber added: "For me, this is absolutely incredible and for sure one of the greatest days of my life.

"To win here was very special, it started with qualifying when it went well but here it is such a test for two hours."

He said it was great, also, to be a joint leader of the championship alongside Red Bull team-mate Vettel, who was second on Sunday.

"We will continue to work hard," Webber stressed. "We are not here because we've been slacking, the effort that has gone in from two and a half years, this has been a continuous effort, it is fantastic continuity in the team.

"We are optimistic for the future and we got the maximum we could do, and we need to make that happen as often as possible."

Webber joined in wild celebrations after the race with his Red Bull team, including a happy and satisfied Vettel.

"Especially in the beginning and the restarts I wasn't able to keep up with him, there was a big difference," said Vettel.

"Later on when I felt the grip he was too far off. There was no real point to make an effort to catch him, with overtaking him being so difficult.

"To be honest I had to look more in my mirrors. Robert (Kubica) was pushing quite hard and it was quite difficult to get away from him at the restarts. I was going more sideways that straight, it was quite difficult.

"It was our optimum and I am very happy. A lot of good points - and those count at the end of the year."