The Tops and Flops of Monaco

Tops

Mark Webber
The Australian has been simply astonishing for ten days! If he has sometimes shown a certain irregularity in the past, the pilot Red Bull has been impeccable since Barcelona. Certainly, its car is very effective and helps a lot. But Mark Webber managed to get ahead Sebastian Vettel in (almost) all areas of the race, which is not a meager performance. Despite three restarts, the Australian retained control from start to finish. He now presents himself as a very serious candidate for the title of World Champion.

Sebastian Vettel
Also impeccable, Sebastian Vettel was able to take advantage of the start to overtake Robert Kubica and place himself behind his teammate. The Pole, who started on the dirty side of the track and who tried to get past Mark Webber, was unable to oppose the German, who then did most of the work without threatening his teammate. He finished with the fastest lap in the race.

Renault
Renault had an almost perfect weekend in Monaco. If Robert Kubica had kept his second place, or even if he had been able to overtake Mark Webber at the start, the dream would have been complete for the French manufacturer. In the end, the Losange firm collected its second podium in six races and saw the podium monopolized by three cars equipped with the V8 of Viruses-Châtillon. A performance that Renault had not achieved since 1997.

Fernando Alonso - Ferrari
The Ferrari driver was able to take advantage of the opportunity offered to him to move back into the peloton. Starting 24th, the double World Champion took advantage of the appearance of the safety car on the second lap to change tires. When his rivals stopped, Alonso was able to gain a significant number of places, slipping to sixth place, behind Lewis Hamilton. The Spaniard can thank his team, which had foreseen this scenario and which reacted quickly.

Force India
First double points entry for Force India! The Silverstone-based team asserts its position as the sixth team in the field and manages to compete for entry to the top of the table. Last year, Force India scored its first points; this season, she confirmed her progress; and, in Monaco, Vijay Mallya's team, for the first time, saw its two cars enter the points.

Sébastien Buemi
Bad luck seems to have finally abandoned the Swiss, who was able to finish the Monaco race in the points. The pilot Toro Rosso took advantage of the penalty Michael Schumacher but also delivered a serious race, allowing him to score his first point of the year. After a dark start to the season, Sébastien Buemi can hope to shine again.

The Flops

Michael Schumacher – Mercedes
The German driver, who was on course to score points for seventh place in Monaco, made a mistake that cost him dearly. During the last lap, when the safety car had just entered the pitlane, the seven-time World Champion thought he was doing well by overtaking Fernando Alonso to snatch sixth place from him. But the rules are clear: when the safety car enters the pits on the last lap, the end of the race takes place without overtaking until the finish. Michael Schumacher and Mercedes will have to better study the complex FIA regulations in order to no longer be penalized following such a mistake.

Jarno Trulli
Too optimistic, Jarno Trulli wanted to overtake Karun Chandhok as he approached the finish. But the turn was short, the angle too tight: the Indian logically closed the door and the Lotus climbed spectacularly on the HRT. Fortunately, Karun Chandhok emerged unscathed from this accident, which could have been avoided.

Williams
The more races go by, the less Williams sees the end of the list of problems he needs to resolve. Sunday, Nico Hulkenberg and Rubens Barrichello saw their races ruined following reliability problems, which led to the exit, twice, from the safety car. Hulkenberg suffered from a problem with the clutch paddle sensor and with his front wing (after contact with an HRT), then made a mistake in the Tunnel, during the first lap. Barrichello, who complained about the behavior of his car and in particular his steering wheel (throwing him on the circuit in annoyance after his accident), was the victim of a broken rear suspension, making a mistake after 30 laps.

Jenson Button? McLaren
The reigning World Champion, leader of the “drivers” classification before this race, was much less happy than last year in the Principality. The Briton couldn't even defend his 2009 victory, retiring during the first intervention of the safety car. Forgetting a cap which caused the engine to overheat seems to be the cause of the problem. His mechanics will be more vigilant in the future, because Button lost a lot by not scoring a point this Sunday.

Clean
Another double retirement for the teamHinwil, who is having a hard time making his car reliable. Pedro de la Rosa had to stop after 21 laps following a hydraulic problem, while Kamui Kobayashi was a victim of his gearbox a few minutes later.