Fernando Alonso won the Monaco grand prix on Sunday after an intense battle with team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who came second, giving McLaren their second 1-2 finish so far this season.
The duo, now joint championship leaders, lapped all the field except Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, who came in third more than a minute down from the leaders. Team-mate Kimi Raikkonen just made it into the points, finishing eighth after a difficult race.
It was the 150th grand prix win for the Woking team and the 39th 1-2. It was also the fifth time that rookie Hamilton made it to the podum, although victory continues to elude him.
The 79-lap race started in dry but overcast conditions but it got brighter as the afternoon went by.
All the leading drivers started on the harder tyre compounds. The getaway was a clean one with pole sitter Alonso keeping his first position, Hamilton in second and Massa in third.
Raikkonen (Ferrari) jumping to 12th from 16th and Barrichello (Honda) gained three positions to eleventh. Heidfeld (BMW), on the softer tyres moved to fifth but team-mate Kubica slipped to ninth.
Liuzzi (Toro Rosso) hit the barriers on the second lap, possibly after contact with another car, but the race continued.
Alonso quickly started pulling away from Hamilton, who was heavier on fuel, while Raikkonen was stuck behind Button (Honda). At the back, Ralph Schumacher’s Toyota in P21 could not find a way past Christijan Albers in the Spyker.
By lap 11 Alonso was 4.5s ahead of Hamilton with Massa in third lapping close to Hamilton’s times.
Despite his softer tyres Heidfeld in fifth appeared to be heavy in the initial stages of the race, with Rosberg (Williams) in sixth having a close look at his gearbox.
Alonso started lapping as early as lap 15, passing Ralph Schumacher and Albers and gaining on Hamilton in the process to eight seconds before losing to more back markers. Hamilton had a tougher time with the backmarkers, particularly Jarno Trulli (Toyota),
Webber drove into the pits and retired on lap 19. Alonso and Hamilton were trading fastest lap times at this stage as the team rivalry hotted up.
Fisichella and Rosberg went in for a regular pit stop on lap 24. The McLaren crew went out, then back in again. Alonso at this stage was just 4.2s ahead of Hamilton.
Alonso and Massa went in on lap 27, the former taking hard tyres and Massa the soft ones. Hamilton took the lead and put in some fastest laps as Alonso rejoining in second and quickly replied, making the best of his new tyres, Hamilton almost losing the car at one stage. Massa stayed in third, Heidfeld fourth and Fisichella fifth.
Hamilton went in just two laps later but Alonso had done enough to regain the lead, the Briton slotting in second.
Raikkonen, meanwhile, remained stuck behind Button, now on ninth and tenth with the Honda pit crew appeared to play mind games, emerging and then going in again. Heidfeld went in for his only stop on lap 33 and emerged between Button and Raikkonen, his heavy BMW further holding up the Finn and giving some relief to Button who quickly built up some distance from the BMW.
On lap 37 Anthony Davidson (Super Aguri) was given a drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags.
At the half way stage Massa in third was almost 32 seconds behind leader Alonso and appearing to make heavy weather on his super soft tyres but he was under no pressure from Fisichella, well back in fourth. Quite a number of drivers had still not gone in for their first pit stop at this stage, having opted for a one stop strategy.
Button went in on lap 42, slipping from seventh to eleventh. Raikkonen was in the points on seventh at this stage, still behind Heidfeld and still having to pit. He did so on lap 49 and was lapped by team-mate Massa as he emerged on P11, behind Button (ninth) and Rosberg.
Alonso came in for his second pit stop on lap 50, switching to the super soft tyres and rejoining the race behind Hamilton.
The Briton drove to the limit before pitting, giving the lead back to Alonso but keeping second.
By this stage all drivers had been lapped except the first four – Alonso, Hamilton, Massa and Fisichella. Massa and Fisichella pitted on lap 56 and 58 respectively, and kept their positions.
Adrian Sutil hit the barriers on lap 56, bringing out the yellow flags but not the safety car. The car was removed safely.
Up in front Hamilton started to close in on Alonso, only a second separating them, while Massa, in third, was 46 seconds behind. Kimi Raikkonen was in ninth with Button again filling his view. But Button went into the pits on lap 63 and the Ferrari driver moved into the points and started pressuring Alexander Wurz in the Williams.
In front, Hamilton, aggressive on his super soft tyres, brushed the barriers but kept going and kept taking risks although the gap from Alonso was now over two seconds. He only appeared to start easing up in the last 10 laps as Alonso remained consistent. Massa, meanwhile, was 50 seconds behind. With five laps to go Alonso lapped former team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella, running in fourth.
The race ended with Alonso first followed by Hamilton, Massa, Fisichella, the BMW duo if Kubica and Heidfeld, , Wurz and Raikkonen. Scott Speed (Toro Rosso) was just outside the points on ninth.
Alonso also achieved the fastest lap of the race.
Spyker drivers Albers and Sutil, Mark Webber (Red Bull) and and Liuzzi (Torro Rosso) retired.David Coulthard's Red Bull broke down in the last lap but he was still placed 14th.
The duo, now joint championship leaders, lapped all the field except Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, who came in third more than a minute down from the leaders. Team-mate Kimi Raikkonen just made it into the points, finishing eighth after a difficult race.
It was the 150th grand prix win for the Woking team and the 39th 1-2. It was also the fifth time that rookie Hamilton made it to the podum, although victory continues to elude him.
The 79-lap race started in dry but overcast conditions but it got brighter as the afternoon went by.
All the leading drivers started on the harder tyre compounds. The getaway was a clean one with pole sitter Alonso keeping his first position, Hamilton in second and Massa in third.
Raikkonen (Ferrari) jumping to 12th from 16th and Barrichello (Honda) gained three positions to eleventh. Heidfeld (BMW), on the softer tyres moved to fifth but team-mate Kubica slipped to ninth.
Liuzzi (Toro Rosso) hit the barriers on the second lap, possibly after contact with another car, but the race continued.
Alonso quickly started pulling away from Hamilton, who was heavier on fuel, while Raikkonen was stuck behind Button (Honda). At the back, Ralph Schumacher’s Toyota in P21 could not find a way past Christijan Albers in the Spyker.
By lap 11 Alonso was 4.5s ahead of Hamilton with Massa in third lapping close to Hamilton’s times.
Despite his softer tyres Heidfeld in fifth appeared to be heavy in the initial stages of the race, with Rosberg (Williams) in sixth having a close look at his gearbox.
Alonso started lapping as early as lap 15, passing Ralph Schumacher and Albers and gaining on Hamilton in the process to eight seconds before losing to more back markers. Hamilton had a tougher time with the backmarkers, particularly Jarno Trulli (Toyota),
Webber drove into the pits and retired on lap 19. Alonso and Hamilton were trading fastest lap times at this stage as the team rivalry hotted up.
Fisichella and Rosberg went in for a regular pit stop on lap 24. The McLaren crew went out, then back in again. Alonso at this stage was just 4.2s ahead of Hamilton.
Alonso and Massa went in on lap 27, the former taking hard tyres and Massa the soft ones. Hamilton took the lead and put in some fastest laps as Alonso rejoining in second and quickly replied, making the best of his new tyres, Hamilton almost losing the car at one stage. Massa stayed in third, Heidfeld fourth and Fisichella fifth.
Hamilton went in just two laps later but Alonso had done enough to regain the lead, the Briton slotting in second.
Raikkonen, meanwhile, remained stuck behind Button, now on ninth and tenth with the Honda pit crew appeared to play mind games, emerging and then going in again. Heidfeld went in for his only stop on lap 33 and emerged between Button and Raikkonen, his heavy BMW further holding up the Finn and giving some relief to Button who quickly built up some distance from the BMW.
On lap 37 Anthony Davidson (Super Aguri) was given a drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags.
At the half way stage Massa in third was almost 32 seconds behind leader Alonso and appearing to make heavy weather on his super soft tyres but he was under no pressure from Fisichella, well back in fourth. Quite a number of drivers had still not gone in for their first pit stop at this stage, having opted for a one stop strategy.
Button went in on lap 42, slipping from seventh to eleventh. Raikkonen was in the points on seventh at this stage, still behind Heidfeld and still having to pit. He did so on lap 49 and was lapped by team-mate Massa as he emerged on P11, behind Button (ninth) and Rosberg.
Alonso came in for his second pit stop on lap 50, switching to the super soft tyres and rejoining the race behind Hamilton.
The Briton drove to the limit before pitting, giving the lead back to Alonso but keeping second.
By this stage all drivers had been lapped except the first four – Alonso, Hamilton, Massa and Fisichella. Massa and Fisichella pitted on lap 56 and 58 respectively, and kept their positions.
Adrian Sutil hit the barriers on lap 56, bringing out the yellow flags but not the safety car. The car was removed safely.
Up in front Hamilton started to close in on Alonso, only a second separating them, while Massa, in third, was 46 seconds behind. Kimi Raikkonen was in ninth with Button again filling his view. But Button went into the pits on lap 63 and the Ferrari driver moved into the points and started pressuring Alexander Wurz in the Williams.
In front, Hamilton, aggressive on his super soft tyres, brushed the barriers but kept going and kept taking risks although the gap from Alonso was now over two seconds. He only appeared to start easing up in the last 10 laps as Alonso remained consistent. Massa, meanwhile, was 50 seconds behind. With five laps to go Alonso lapped former team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella, running in fourth.
The race ended with Alonso first followed by Hamilton, Massa, Fisichella, the BMW duo if Kubica and Heidfeld, , Wurz and Raikkonen. Scott Speed (Toro Rosso) was just outside the points on ninth.
Alonso also achieved the fastest lap of the race.
Spyker drivers Albers and Sutil, Mark Webber (Red Bull) and and Liuzzi (Torro Rosso) retired.David Coulthard's Red Bull broke down in the last lap but he was still placed 14th.