Reverend
May 27th, 2007, 20:41 PM
McLaren's Fernando Alonso won a battle with team-mate Lewis Hamilton to take victory in the Monaco Grand Prix for the second year in a row.
The world champion held off Hamilton with help from team strategy to take his second win of the season and retake the world championship lead.
The two men were in a race of their own, with Ferrari driver Felipe Massa unable to keep pace in third place. Giancarlo Fisichella gave Renault their best result of the year with fourth.
The result leaves Alonso and Hamilton level on 38 points at the head of the championship, which the double world champion leads by virtue of his two wins to Hamilton's none.
Englishman Hamilton was impressive on his debut at one of Formula One's most demanding tracks, and might have won had team orders not intervened.
The two McLaren drivers were closely matched in the first part of the race.
Alonso made an early break, establishing an eight-second advantage after 18 laps, only for Hamilton to peg his lead back to five seconds as they negotiated traffic before their first pit stops.
After the race, Hamilton said he had expected to make his stop five laps after Alonso, which might have given him enough time to make up enough ground to take the lead, and that he was surprised to be called in after only three.
But Alonso said that he had been able to eke out his fuel for two extra laps by driving carefully "in the first part of the race, and the formation lap and things like that". That ensured he held on to the lead.
Hamilton managed to hold the leader's advantage at just four seconds for a while but in the 10 laps before his final pit stop on lap 51 Alonso extended his lead to more than 10 seconds.
And with Hamilton making his final stop just a lap after Alonso, there was no way back for the 22-year-old.
Hamilton stopped on the next lap and closed right up on to the tail of his team-mate with 20 of the 78 laps remaining, but the two men had been told to conserve their equipment and cruise to McLaren's second one-two finish of the season.
It was Hamilton's fourth consecutive second-place finish, and the 17th victory of Alonso's illustrious career.
Monaco Grand Prix result:
1. Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes
2. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes
3. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari
4. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault
5. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber
6. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber
7. Alexander Wurz (Aut) Williams-Toyota
8. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari
Championship standings:
1. Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes 38 pts
2. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 38
3. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 33
4. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 23
5. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 18
6. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 13
7. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 12
8. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota 5
Constructors' championship:
1. McLaren-Mercedes 76 pts
2. Ferrari 56
3. BMW Sauber 30
4. Renault 16
5. Williams-Toyota 7
BBC Sport (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/6696391.stm)
The world champion held off Hamilton with help from team strategy to take his second win of the season and retake the world championship lead.
The two men were in a race of their own, with Ferrari driver Felipe Massa unable to keep pace in third place. Giancarlo Fisichella gave Renault their best result of the year with fourth.
The result leaves Alonso and Hamilton level on 38 points at the head of the championship, which the double world champion leads by virtue of his two wins to Hamilton's none.
Englishman Hamilton was impressive on his debut at one of Formula One's most demanding tracks, and might have won had team orders not intervened.
The two McLaren drivers were closely matched in the first part of the race.
Alonso made an early break, establishing an eight-second advantage after 18 laps, only for Hamilton to peg his lead back to five seconds as they negotiated traffic before their first pit stops.
After the race, Hamilton said he had expected to make his stop five laps after Alonso, which might have given him enough time to make up enough ground to take the lead, and that he was surprised to be called in after only three.
But Alonso said that he had been able to eke out his fuel for two extra laps by driving carefully "in the first part of the race, and the formation lap and things like that". That ensured he held on to the lead.
Hamilton managed to hold the leader's advantage at just four seconds for a while but in the 10 laps before his final pit stop on lap 51 Alonso extended his lead to more than 10 seconds.
And with Hamilton making his final stop just a lap after Alonso, there was no way back for the 22-year-old.
Hamilton stopped on the next lap and closed right up on to the tail of his team-mate with 20 of the 78 laps remaining, but the two men had been told to conserve their equipment and cruise to McLaren's second one-two finish of the season.
It was Hamilton's fourth consecutive second-place finish, and the 17th victory of Alonso's illustrious career.
Monaco Grand Prix result:
1. Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes
2. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes
3. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari
4. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault
5. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber
6. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber
7. Alexander Wurz (Aut) Williams-Toyota
8. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari
Championship standings:
1. Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes 38 pts
2. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 38
3. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 33
4. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 23
5. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 18
6. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 13
7. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 12
8. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota 5
Constructors' championship:
1. McLaren-Mercedes 76 pts
2. Ferrari 56
3. BMW Sauber 30
4. Renault 16
5. Williams-Toyota 7
BBC Sport (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/6696391.stm)