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McLaren-Mercedes takes the points in Monaco
McLaren-Mercedes took the one-two victory at this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, where Fernando Alonso won the race after an intense
battle of wills with his team mate Lewis Hamilton.
Scuderia Ferrari's Felipe Massa crossed the line in third place, reflecting the starting grid line-up.
Saturday morning in Monaco was greeted by unglamorous drops
of rain; a wet practice session proceeded by dry weather in the afternoon made for a complicated and uncertain qualifying session, as rain clouds loomed throughout.
It is generally agreed that grid position is everything
at Monaco as overtaking opportunities are few and far between.
The race would therefore be a challenge for Ferrari; Lap times were very close between the top three drivers and fractions of second separated Alonso who
took pole, followed by Hamilton and Massa.
During the second qualifying window Kimi Räikkönen touched the barrier on exiting the Swimming Pool sector, damaging the car. Unable to take part in the final qualifying
session he was allocated 16th position on the grid.
On Sunday the rain had backed off and all three frontrunners held position as they dived into Sainte Devote and streamed up into Casino Square.
Massa maintained
a strong pace behind Hamilton and by lap five was only 1.6 seconds adrift. Like the McLarens he also ran a two stop strategy and comfortably held onto his position.
However, whilst both McLarens came through the traffic
of back markers relatively unscathed, the Brazilian was held up, losing valuable seconds. Although this made challenging for P2 ever more difficult, Massa, powered by the very latest Shell Helix motor oil, held onto third with
ease, avoiding any challenges from competitors.
Räikkönen, perched behind Renault's Heikki Kovalainen on the grid had made the most of his start, moving immediately up from P16 to P12. For 78 laps including two pit
stops, Räikkönen gradually cut his way though the field and by the end of the race the Finn stood in eighth position, contributing one point to Ferrari's collection.
However attention rested on a McLaren-Mercedes battle of wills between Alonso and Hamilton.
While the Spaniard took the upper hand relatively early on, a fastest lap by Hamilton meant Alonso could by no means take his
lead for granted. By the mid way point and after the first set of pit stops Alonso only led the Brit by 5 seconds.
Neither driver gave an inch. Nevertheless it was Alonso who logged the fastest lap of the race and coolly
crossed the line in the lead to take his second consecutive Monaco victory.
Lisa Lilley Shell Technology Manager for Ferrari had some comments: 'I know the Shell fluids worked very well in the car today and they
contributed to valuable points here for the team. Next stop is Montreal and Indianapolis, so we are now looking ahead to make sure Ferrari has the best product package for these high severity tracks.'
The flyaway races are once again on the horizon as teams soon head to Canada.
McLaren-Mercedes will be starting the Montreal race weekend leading the Constructors' Championship with 76 points, twenty points ahead of the
Scuderia. Alonso and Hamilton now share the lead in the Drivers' Championship with 38 points each, only five points ahead of Massa.
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