Monaco GP summed up in a few words:
50 laps of brilliance, followed by 28 average laps.
For the first 50 laps I thought this was the best race of the season so far. 3 teams and drivers in with a great chance of victory, with Williams as one of the teams! After the first round of pit-stops Raikkonen and Webber had the faster car. On another track Alonso might have found himself in 3rd, but not so here. Webber's engine failure really changed the race. As a result, Raikkonen's engine failed and suddenly Alonso had the win in the bag. The resulting safety car also benefitted several drivers - Trulli (3rd until he retired), Coulthard (on the podium! .. but waaay down beforehand) and M.Schumacher (over a lap down with slim chances of points) Damn you Cosworth engine!! *shakes fist*
Nothing much happened during the last 28 laps. Trulli retired, Barrichello had a drive through penalty and blocked Schumacher, Rosberg crashed and Coulthard secured Red Bull's first podium - fantastic!
So, Alonso extends his lead to 21 points over M.Schumacher, with Raikkonen scoring 0. A Raikkonen win would have been a lot more exciting in terms of the title race.
What did evryone think of the train of cars (10th - 15th) being overtaken by the top 4!? I thought it was one of the highlights of the race!!
Fun to watch.
Renault hold a firm grip over the both titles atm, but McLaren are coming back to form and Ferrari are still strong. Silverstone is traditionally a strong track for McLaren, so I expect a 3 way fight between Renault, McLaren and Ferrari. Could Williams keep up their pace?? .. and can Honda start returning to form!? We'll find out in 2 weeks.
Monaco GP Results Finishers
1. F.Alonso. 78 Laps
2. J.P.Montoya +14.5s
3. D.Coulthard. +52.2s
4. R.Barrichello. +53.3s
5. M.Schumacher. +53.8s
6. G.Fisichella. +62s
7. N.Heidfeld. +1 Lap
8. R.Schumacher. +1 Lap
9. F.Massa. +1 Lap
10. V.Liuzzi. +1 Lap
11. J.Button. +1 Lap
12. C.Albers. +1 Lap
13. S.Speed. +1 Lap
14. J.Villeneuve. +1 Lap
15. T.Monteiro. +2 Laps
16. F.Montangy. +3 Laps
Retired
- J.Trulli. +6 Laps
- C.Klien. +22 Laps
- N.Rosberg. +27 Laps
- K.Raikkonen. +28 Laps
- M.Webber. +30 Laps
- T.Sato. +32 Laps
Fastest Lap
M.Schumacher - 1:15.143
Prediction League
Points Gained -
Lizzy - 11
Gert-Jan - 13
Neil - 15
Total Points After Monaco GP
1. Neil. 172.
2. Gert-Jan. 145.
3. Lizzy. 122.
