Monaco GP 2012

MAY 27, 2012

Race Notes - Mark Webber wins the Monaco GP

Start, Monaco GP 2012
© The Cahier Archive

Mark Webber won the Monaco Grand Prix in the Red Bull-Renault, ahead of Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes GP, 0.6 seconds behind, in second place and Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari in third, 0.9 seconds behind the winner.

As light rain fell with only a handful of laps remaining the front of the field closed up together - the top six runners separated by 6.1 seconds at the flag.

Sebastian Vettel (1.3s) in the Red Bull finished in four place, followed by Lewis Hamilton (4.1s) in the McLaren-Mercedes finished fifth, Felipe Massa (6.1s) in the second Ferrari finished sixth, Paul di Resta (41.5s) in the Force India-Mercedes finished in seventh, his team mate Nico Hulkenberg (42.5s) finished right behind in eighth, Kimi Raikkonen (44.0s) in the Lotus-Renault finished ninth, and Bruno Senna (44.5s) in the Williams-Renault finished in the final points position in tenth.

The victory is Webber's second Monaco win, and eighth of his career. There have now been six different winners from five constructors in the first six races of the 2012 season. Alonso now leads the World Championship by three points ahead of Vettel and Webber (tied for second), and Red Bull leads the Constructors title ahead of McLaren and Ferrari.

Before the start Michael Schumacher was given a five grid position penalty for his incident with Senna in the Spanish Grand Prix and would start sixth. Webber starts first with Rosberg alongside, Hamilton and Romain Grosjean on the second row.

All the top ten except for Vettel and Hulkenberg starting on super soft tyres.

Webber takes the lead, while on the run to the first corner Grosjean and Schumacher make contact and Grosjean spins. Webber leads Rosberg, Hamilton, Alonso, Massa, Vettel, Raikkonen, Schumacher and Hulkenberg.

Pastor Maldonado is off the course with damage. At the end of the first lap Grosjean car has still not been removed, and the safety car is deployed. De la Rosa comes to the pits without a rear wing.

On lap 4 the safety car comes in and the race continues. Vitaly Petrov pits and takes on soft tyres.

Webber sets fastest lap at 1m22.2s.

On lap 6 Webber leads by 1.0 seconds over Rosberg, while he resets fastest lap. Kamui Kobayashi pits for a second time with damage from the start incident. There are worries of rain coming.

On lap 8, the stewards announce that they are investigating the first corner incident. Kobayashi retires.

At lap 10 Webber leads Rosberg by 1.4 seconds, followed by Hamilton (2.7s), Alonso (4.6s), Massa (5.1s), Vettel (6.1s), Raikkonen (6.8s), Schumacher (7.4s), Hulkenberg (8.3s) and Senna (10.4s) in tenth place.

Webber sets another fastest lap at 1m20.4s.

On lap 12 the stewards announce that no further actions will be taken over the start incidents.

Lotus tells Raikkonen that rain could come in 15 laps.

On lap 15 race control ask Jean-Eric Vergne to give 16th position back to Sergio Perez, after he cut the chicane to take the position earlier.

On lap 16 Webber has pulled out a 2.0 second lead, while drivers are starting to complain on the radio that their tyres are going off.

On lap 17 Petrov pits again and retires with an electrical problem. Vergne makes his first pit stop, switching to soft tyres. Alonso sets fastest lap at 1m19.3s.

On lap 19 Perez passes Timo Glock at the chicane for 15th place. Alonso sets another fastest lap at 1m19.1s, and closes to a second behind Hamilton in third. The top five are all on super soft tyres, and Vettel in sixth on soft tyres hopes that the drivers in front of him will need to pit before him.

On lap 24 Schumacher pressuring Raikkonen in seventh place, while Vettel cuts the chicane on his own.

On lap 26 Vergne sets fastest lap at 1m19.0s.

Ib lap 27 Rosberg is the first of the leaders to pit from second place, switching to soft tyres, and rejoins in sixth. Raikkonen is told to stay out, the team believing that it might rain in the next five laps. Schumacher is looking for a way past Raikkonen, a line of cars stacking up behind the Finn.

On lap 30 Webber and Hamilton both pit, taking on soft tyres. Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Senna and Narain Karthikeyan all pit. The next lap Alonso pits from the lead switching to soft tyres - Alonso getting the position on Hamilton through the stop.

On lap 31 Massa pits for soft tyres from the lead. Vettel takes the lead, yet to pit having started on the soft tyre.

At lap 32 Vettel leads Webber by 11.6 seconds, followed by Rosberg (12.8s), Alonso (15.4s), Hamilton (17.2s), Schumacher (18.9s), Massa (20.3s), Di Resta (23.0s), Ricciardo (25.9s) and Jenson Button (26.9s) in tenth place.

Teams keep saying that they think it will rain soon.

On lap 34 Webber cuts the chicane. Charles Pic pits.

On lap 35 Schumacher pits for the first time, rejoining in tenth. Perez pits, cutting across Raikkonen as he enters the pitlane.

Hulkenberg sets fastest lap at 1m18.4s, he runs in 12th. Di Resta pits from seventh. Reports of rain drops out on the track.

On lap 39 Perez is handed a drive-through penalty for a late pit entry. Button pits for super soft tyres, rejoining in 15th behind Heikki Kovalainen.

On lap 40 Perez pits for his drive-through penalty. Ricciardo pits the next lap from seventh place.

On lap 42 Hamilton complains to the team that as things are going that his tyres are not going to last very long.

On lap 44 Perez cuts the chicane as he passes Pic, and then gives the position back.

At lap 45 Vettel leads Webber by 16.6 seconds, followed by Rosberg (18.6s), Alonso (19.4s), Hamilton (21.4s), Massa ( 22.7s), Schumacher (45.3s), Vergne (47.6s), Di Resta (54.8s) and Hulkenberg (55.8s) in tenth place.

On lap 46 Vettel pits from the lead, coming out just ahead of Hamilton. Webber now leads Rosberg, Alonso Vettel and Hamilton.

On lap 48 Perez sets fastest lap at 1m18.0s. Raikkonen is now told not to expect rain, and that he needs to make his tyres last to the finish.

On lao 49 Perez resets fastest lap at 1m17.2s. Schumacher makes a mistake and cuts the chicane.

On lap 54 Ferrari tells Massa to keep his tyres fresh, and that he might have a chance to pass Hamilton before the finish.

On lap 55 yellow flags are out near the swimming pool for debris, as part of a Marussia front wing sits on the track.

On lap 59 Schumacher complains that he feels something strange with the car, the team tells him to continue as it is nothing critical.

At lap 60 Webber leads Rosberg by 1.4 seconds, followed by Alonso (3.7s), Vettel (4.9s), Hamilton (6.7s), Massa (7.5s), Schumacher (28.1s), Vergne (30.6s), Di Resta (41.4s) and Hulkenberg (42.9s) in tenth place.

On lap 62 Vergne passes Schumacher for seventh, as the German is struggling with a problem with his Mercedes.

On lap 64 Webber is told there is light rain at the Mirabeau corner.

On lap 65 Schumacher is passed by both Force India's. More reports of rain around the track, with umbrellas coming out. Schumacher pits and retires. Rosberg closes to within a second of race leader Webber. Button is still trying to find a way past Kovalainen in 12th.

On lap 67 the lead is down to 0.8 seconds - the top six separated by 6 seconds. Ricciardo pits and retires from 15th.

The rain continues to fall lightly, the leaders stacked up and separated now by 3.6 seconds, lap times dropping to 1m24s, and 1m26s the next lap.

On lap 70 Vergne pits from eighth, switching to intermediate wet tyres - taking a gamble that it will rain harder

At lap 70 Webber leads Rosberg by 0.5 seconds, followed by Alonso (0.9s), Vettel (1.5s), Hamilton (2.3s), Massa (3.1s), Di Resta (41.7s), Hulkenberg (45.8s), Raikkonen (49.1s) and Senna (49.6s) in tenth place.

Button tries to pass Kovalainen and spins. Perez tries pass Kovalainen and ends up going down the run-off at Ste Devote. Lap times are picking up again, now in 1m23 seconds, as the rain seems to have abated.

On lap 73 the stewards announce they will investigate the incident with Perez and Kovalainen.

On lap 75 Kovalainen pits. McLaren tells Hamilton that the rain might still get worse in the last three laps. Lap times down to 1m19s.

The order remains the same, and Webber crosses the line to win his second Monaco GP.