Rosberg completes family double

Nico Rosberg won Formula One’s showcase Monaco Grand Prix for Mercedes yesterday, 30 years on from his world champion father Keke’s triumph on the streets of the Mediterranean principality.

The pole-to-flag win, after two safety car deployments and a 25-minute stoppage caused by Pastor Maldonado crashing his Williams, was only the second of the German’s career – as it was for his Finnish father in 1983.

Red Bull’s triple world champion Sebastian Vettel made it a German one-two to extend his championship lead to 21 points over Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen – who finished 10th – after six of the 19 races.

Rosberg’s success, on the familiar streets of a town that has been home since his early years, made him the first son of a Monaco Grand Prix winner to win the most glamorous race on the calendar.

“It’s amazing. This is my home, I’ve grown up here all my life and it’s really special,” he said.

“The whole weekend went perfectly. The car was really good, the tyres held on and that was the key to the victory. I am ecstatic.”

Mark Webber, last year’s winner and Vettel’s team-mate, was third ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the other Mercedes.

Raikkonen scrambled to his 23rd successive scoring finish – one short of Michael Schumacher’s all-time record – after making up three positions on the last lap just when it seemed his hopes had been dashed by a collision with McLaren’s Sergio Perez.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso also fell back in the title challenge after finishing seventh, with Force India’s Adrian Sutil fifth and Jenson Button sixth for McLaren.

The day had started with controversy, with Red Bull making an official protest after discovering that Mercedes had taken part in a secret tyre test with Pirelli in Spain last week, and uncertainty after the German team had failed to convert their previous poles into wins.

Rosberg was not letting that cloud his day.

“We’ve had such a difficult time in the last couple of races, and dropping back so much,” he said.

“That was a little bit in the back of my mind but it was okay. I hope this is going to last.

“Today, the team gave me a great car. It’s really fantastic to see how much they have been able to improve in a short space of time. This track suited us anyway.”

Hamilton had started alongside Rosberg, who had secured his third successive pole on Saturday, but lost two places when the safety car was deployed for the first time this season on lap 31.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa triggered the intervention when he crashed heavily at the Ste. Devote corner at the end of the pit straight in a repeat of his Saturday smash at the same spot.

The Brazilian was attended to by medical staff, who put him in a neck brace while marshals mended the energy-absorbing barriers.

The safety car, deployed for eight laps, came out at the wrong time for Mercedes, who had to bring in Rosberg and Hamilton – the main loser – at the same time while Vettel had already pitted.

Eight laps after normal racing resumed, the red flags came out when Maldonado and British rookie Max Chilton collided, pitching the Williams hard into the safety barrier at the harbourside Tabac corner.

Grand Prix result

Fastest lap
Sebastian Vettel, 1:16.577 – lap 77.

Next race
June 9, Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal.

Overall standings

Drivers
1. Vettel 107 points; 2. Raikkonen 86; 3. Alonso 78; 4. Hamilton 62; 5. Webber 57; 6. Rosberg 47; 7. Massa 45; 8. Di Resta 28; 9. Grosjean 26; 10. Button 25; 11. Sutil 16; 12. Perez 12; 13. Ricciardo 7; 14. Hulkenberg 5; 15. Vergne 5.

Constructors
1. Red Bull 164; 2. Ferrari 123; 3. Lotus 112; 4. Mercedes 109; 5. Force India 44; 6. McLaren 37; 7. Toro Rosso 12; 8. Sauber 5.