Formula One news
Hamilton takes title lead with Monaco win
25 May 2008 / Results / PhotosLewis Hamilton recovered from an early contact with the barriers to win a frantic Monaco Grand Prix and take the lead in the drivers' championship. Robert Kubica drove a clean race to take second ahead of Felipe Massa.
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Kovalainen had a problem on the grid for the formation lap and was forced to start from the pit lane, at the back of the field. As the cars lined up on the grid, shod with intermediate tyres, the race began. Massa led into the first corner while Hamilton jumped ahead of Raikkonen to take second. Kubica maintained fourth while Alonso moved ahead of Rosberg for fifth.
Jenson Button was the first driver to come unstuck, clipping Heidfeld's rear wing in the swimming pool section and having to pit for a new front wing. Meanwhile Massa led Hamilton, Raikkonen, Kubica, Alonso, Rosberg, Trulli and Glock as track conditions showed little improvement.
Rosberg pitted soon after having damaged his front wing, and Timo Glock made it a hat-trick of front wings when he spun his Toyota in the final corner, taking his nose out in the barriers.
Lewis Hamilton fell foul of worsening conditions on lap six, damaging his right rear tyre as he clipped the barrier, but after a quick trip to the pits, rejoined in fifth. Alonso was next, aquaplaning into the barriers and having to pit for a new tyres. At that moment, in the midfield, Coulthard ran into the barrier at Massanet, followed into retirement soon after by Bourdais causing the safety car to be deployed.
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The race resumed on lap 10 and there was more bad news for Kimi Raikkonen as he was given a drive-through penalty for not having his tyres fully fitted at the requisite three minutes before the start of the race. Fernando Alonso was on a charge to fight back from his unscheduled stop - forcing his way past Webber down the inside of Mirabeau to take sixth.
Alonso was soon all over the rear wing of Nick Heidfeld, clearly faster, but struggling to find a way past. A feint move down the inside of the hairpin on lap 14 lost Alonso his front wing, and forced him into another pit stop.
Just when it looked like Massa had it all in his grasp, he ran off at Sainte Devote on lap 15, letting Kubica through into the lead before rejoining in second. On lap 18 Kubica led Massa, Hamilton, Raikkoen, Webber, Sutil, Trulli and Barrichello.
Kubica led a calm phase in the race until lap 26 when he made his first pit stop. Just as he rejoined behind Raikkonen, the Finn ran off at Ste Devote, damaging his front wing and having to pit for a replacement.
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Felipe Massa pitted on lap 32, rejoining ahead of Kubica, but releasing Hamilton into the lead. With conditions beginning to dry out, it was a question of if he could just hold on until dry tyres could be fitted in his final pit stop of the day.
There was no answer still on lap 46, as a dry line was clearly emerging, Fernando Alonso was the first to take the risk and take on full dry weather tyres. His team mate followed a couple of laps later, but could not handle it and put his Renault in the wall at Sainte Devote on lap 49.
It took a little while, but on lap 53, the dry tyres began to come into their own and Alonso set a new fastest lap of the race, prompting the rest of the field to start pitting, including race leader Lewis Hamilton and third placed Kubica. Massa meanwhile held on until lap 56 before switching to dry tyres but it was too late and he lost second place to Kubica.
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| Rosberg's damaged car |
On lap 59 Hamilton led Kubica, Massa, Sutil, Raikkonen and Webber as the race entered its final stages. Just when it looked like a procession to the flag, Nico Rosberg put his Williams into the wall at the swimming pool causing a second safety car deployment on lap 61.
The race resumed on lap 67 with Hamilton leading Kubica and Massa into the first corner. Meanwhile Raikkonen was right behind Sutil fighting for fourth, and lost control under braking, running into the back of the Force India at the chicane, losing his front wing and putting Sutil out of the race.
Hamilton kept his cool to take his second win of the season and the lead in the championship. Kubica brought his BMW home in second ahead of Massa, Webber, Vettel, Barrichello, Nakajima and Kovalainen the final point.
In two weeks from now Formula 1 will travel to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix.
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