Lewis Hamilton: First Formula One Monaco GP Victory

Practice

With very little to choose between the top two teams in the practice sessions, it seemed McLaren did not have the advantage they enjoyed over Ferrari here at the Monaco Grand Prix last year. Add swiftly changing, variable weather conditions to the mix and the race really did look to be anybody's for the taking.

Saturday

Qualifying was a close affair, with Felipe Massa putting in possibly his best ever lap at Monaco to secure pole position. A solid lap by Kimi Raikonnen pushed Lewis Hamilton down into third place on the grid.

An obvious joy for Ferrari, who had failed to win here since Michael Schumacher's 2001 victory, especially considering the race had been won by the driver on pole position for the last four years.

Sunday

As rain began to fall minutes before the race, the teams were able to put intermediate wet tyres on the cars. A stall on the formation lap meant that McLaren's Heiki Kovalainen was forced to begin from the pits.

An excellent start by Hamilton saw him take second place from Raikonnen by the first corner, but six laps later a loss of grip saw him puncture a tyre by clipping the wall at the Tabac corner. That forced him to come into the pits for a new tyre.

The quick reaction of the McLaren pit crew and the addition of some more fuel possibly contributed as much to Hamilton's victory as the driver himself.

The beginning of the race was punctuated by various slides and collisions due to the poor weather conditions, which led to several pit stops and a couple of drivers being forced to retire. Raikonnen was given a drive-through penalty due to a mistake by Ferrari when preparing his car.

That, coupled with earlier mistakes by Fernando Alonso, gifted Hamilton third place. After pit stops by Kubica and Massa the lead was taken by Hamilton, who was able to keep running due to the extra fuel he had taken on board earlier.

As the track began to dry, Renault gambled on dry tyres for their drivers, which after a few shaky laps proved to be the better option. Hamilton was by far the fastest driver through the middle section of the Grand Prix, amassing a 40-second lead before coming in to change to dry tyres on lap 54.

A late crash by Nico Rosberg saw a safety car remove Hamilton's lead, but he was still able to ease to victory, the most significant of his F1 career to date. Hamilton's first F1 Monaco win but his third in four appearances, all races considered.

He is already well on his way to following in his hero, Ayrton Senna's footsteps.

A mention must also be given to Force India driver Adrian Suttil, who put in a superb drive and was only prevented from claiming fourth place by a Raikonnen mistake on lap 68. Certainly one of the best drivers of the day.