McLaren ace Lewis Hamilton was streets ahead of his rivals as he took a dominant victory around the tight turns of Monaco. Despite treacherous wet conditions and two punctures, the British star drove brilliantly to cross the line first and regain his place at the top of the title table.
After clouting a barrier on the first lap, Hamilton was forced into the pits to change a flat tyre. This allowed the team to switch the 23 year-old to a one-stop strategy, which he used to leave the rest of the field floundering, emulating his hero Ayrton Senna who won the famous event six-times.
Lewis was followed home by the BMW Sauber of Robert Kubica, who drove a faultless race from fifth on the grid, while Ferrari’s Felipe Massa took the final podium place.
The young Brazilian started from pole position but overshot a corner while leading, forcing him to rejoin the race behind Kubica.
Reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen endured a torrid weekend, eventually finishing out of the points in ninth. The Ferrari ace’s race was almost over before it began, when he was hit with drive-through penalty for failing to get his tyres on in time for the start.
His misery was compounded when he twice had to stop for a new nose cone. The first time he tapped the barrier after sliding on standing water, on the second occasion he ran into the back of Adrian Sutil’s Force India, ending the German’s race when he was running in a hard-won fourth place.
This incident promoted Mark Webber’s Red Bull to fourth place. The Australian drove an exemplary race, recovering well after his squad sent him out on dry tyres when the circuit was still damp.
His teammate David Coulthard was less fortunate, striking the barrier early on. Moments later the stranded Red Bull was clobbered by the Toro Rosso of Sebastien Bourdais who had lost control at the same corner.
But the biggest accident of the afternoon came courtesy of Nico Rosberg. The German destroyed his Williams Toyota after a heavy impact with the barriers 16 laps from the end.
The resulting debris was scattered over the track and, despite a safety car being deployed, Hamilton picked up a slow puncture while trying to negotiate the crash site.
Luckily he was able to continue and take his first victory at the legendary circuit. Speaking afterwards he said: “This has got to be the highlight of my career and I am sure it will continue to be the highlight for the rest of my life. The team did a fantastic job and without them I wouldn’t have been able to win today.”
Next up the teams cross the Atlantic for the Canadian Grand Prix on 6 June, and Lewis will be hoping to repeat last year’s result where he notched up his maiden F1 victory.