07 Monaco - Alonso wins all as rivals' hopes go up in smoke
Until lap 49 of the Monaco Grand Prix it seemed to be a three-way fight for the race victory as Fernando Alonso fended off Kimi Raikkonen as he had done since the very first lap, while Mark Webber shadowed the leading duo waiting to try and take advantage in the second and final round of pit stops. The race was wide open.
Seconds later Webber ground to a halt with smoke and flames licking away at his Cosworth V8 and the safety car was deployed to collect the stricken FW28. Two laps later and Raikkonen was climbing from his smoking McLaren Mercedes. Alonso duly cruised on to take the Monaco Grand Prix victory from Montoya.
It was an impressive drive from Alonso who withstood extreme pressure throughout the majority of the race from the ever-unlucky Raikkonen. McLaren have some reward from the day as Montoya took the runner-up sport, but it was gain noticeable that Raikkonen was pushing for the race win and Montoya was unwilling to push to the limit.
The battle for third position was an intense one as once Webber and Raikkonen had retired Jarno Trulli found himself all set for a podium position. Sadly for the Toyota driver who was the on a one stop strategy, his TF106B ground to a halt exiting Ste Devote with six laps remaining.
Wearing a Superman cap, David Coulthard took the final podium position, the first for Red Bull. It was an impressive race from Coulthard who was under pressure for almost the entire race distance and while the podium may be a little fortunate, the team deserve it after a most difficult start to the season.
Rubens Barrichello looked all set to take his first podium with Honda but his sole pit stop saw the Brazilian speed in the pit lane and a drive through penalty followed. A fourth position is a solid result for Barrichello who completely showed the way to Jenson Button who had what is undoubtedly his least competitive since joining the team from Renault. Button would finish 11th.
Starting from the pit lane, things looked pretty bleak for Michael Schumacher. However you don't win seven World Championships without super talent. The Ferrari driver took the chequered flag 0.4s behind Barrichello and was without a doubt, the most impressive racer of the day.
Giancarlo Fisichella finished in sixth position in the second Renault, losing time early in the race stuck in a train led by the one-stopping Barrichello. Nick Heidfeld picked up two points with a seventh place finish while the final point went to Ralf Schumacher in his Toyota.
Felipe Massa was unable to follow team-mate Schumacher through the field and finished in ninth position ahead of Tonio Liuzzi who had a great race for Toro Rosso. Button was unable to keep up with Liuzzi and finished 10s down in 11th ahead of Christijan Albers who had an eventful race in his MF1 Toyota.
The start of the race saw Albers move across on team-mate Tiago Monteiro breaking the Portuguese racer's front wing and fortunate to not cause a big accident. Albers would get a drive through penalty for his efforts but soldiered on to finish 12th ahead of Scott Speed.
Jacques Villeneuve finished in 14th position in the second BMW Sauber, partly due to a drive through penalty after the Canadian gained a position whilst behind the safety car. Tiago Monteiro finished 15th and will be asking his team why his team-mate so severely compromised his race. Franck Montagny was the final finisher in 15th in his Super Aguri Honda.
The Monaco Grand Prix was very much the case of what might have been. Fernando Alonso took the win from the Pole Position while any number of other racers could have and perhaps should have joined him on the podium. For Red Bull Ferrari, it was however a dream day... Meanwhile, Kimi Raikkonen is enjoying some rest and relaxation in the harbour.