Formula 1 News

Vettel wins the 2011 Monaco Grand Prix 

Race red-flagged and resumed with 6 laps to go

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel took his fifth win in the 2011 season – his 15th career win – at the 58th edition of the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso finished second, ahead of McLaren’s Jenson Button and Red Bull’s Mark Webber.

Fifth place for Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi, sixth for McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, seventh for Force India’s Adrian Sutil, eighth for Lotus Renault’s Nick Heidfeld, ninth for William’s Rubens Barrichello and tenth for Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi.

2011 Monaco Grand Prix, lap by lap highlights:

The sixth race of the 2011 season is about to start at the prestigious Monte Carlo street circuit.

Sebastian Vettel starts again from pole position after clocking an amazing 1:13.556 lap in qualifying and beating McLaren’s Jenson Button. Mark Webber starts from the third spot of the Monaco grid in the other Red Bull ahead of Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari, Michael Schumacher in the Mercedes and Felipe Massa in the other Ferrari.

Position seven for Nico Rosberg in the other Mercedes and eight for Pastor Maldonado in the Williams after Hamilton’s demotion down to ninth following a chicane cut in his last flying lap.

Sauber’s Sergio Perez won’t take part in the race today after escaping serious injury during qualifying when the Mexican lost control of the car at the tunnel exit and crashed into the protective barriers.

Formation lap: the grid clears ahead of the formation lap. Top 8 drivers on Pirelli Supersofts, Hamilton on Softs. Button lamenting a really heavy steering over the team radio, seconds before the start!

Race start: Lights go off! Race start at Monte Carlo! Into Turn 1, the Ste Devote…Vettel, Button, Alonso, Webber. Schumacher down to ninth.

Lap 2/78: Rosberg P5, Massa, Maldonado, Petrov. Schumacher lost 5 positions at the start. Vettel has already a 2.4 second lead to Button.

Lap 3/78: Vettel +3.2s now. DRS now enabled.

Lap 4/78: Barrichello P11, then Di Resta, Kobayashi, Sutil, Heidfeld, Buemi, Trulli, Alguersuari, Kovalainen, Glock, D’Ambrosio, Karthikeyan and Liuzzi.

Lap 5/78: Vettel +4.3s gap to Button, pulling away from the field at half a second a lap.

Lap 7/78: Vettel P1, Button P2, Alonso P3, Webber P4. Hamilton pressuring Schumacher for P9.

Lap 9/78: Schumacher reports low grip on his rear tyres.

Lap 10/78: Hamilton overtakes Schumacher at the Ste. Devote, great move from the Briton.

Lap 12/78: Schumacher loosing ground. Barrichello overtakes the German for P10.

Lap 13/78: Schumacher has pitted. New front wing and tyres for the German. Schumacher rejoins in P21.

Lap 14/78: Slight contact between Massa and Rosberg. Massa and Maldonado pass Rosberg.

Lap 15/78: Race leader Vettel about to lap Liuzzi.

Lap 16/78: Button pits from P2. Button rejoins in P4. Rosberg pits.

Lap 17/78: Vettel pits from the lead. Webber pits. A very slow pit stop for both Red Bulls.

Lap 18/78: Alonso makes his first stop. Alonso rejoins in third. Vettel has lost the lead of the Monaco Grand Prix to Button.

Lap 19/78: Button P1, Vettel P2, Alonso P3.

Lap 20/78: Kovalainen pits from P17.

Lap 21/78: Di Resta pits.

Lap 22/78: Button advantage is up to 9.7 seconds.

Lap 23/78: Hamilton pits from P7. He switches to Supersofts, he rejoins in P15 after a slow stop.

Lap 25/78: Trulli pits.

Lap 26/78: Button P1 with 13.1s to Vettel. Maldonado pits from P5. Replays show Alguersuari and Di Resta making contact.

Lap 27/78: Massa pits from P4 and rejoins in P11. Di Resta under investigation by the race stewards.

Lap 28/78: Drive through penalty for Di Resta for causing a collision. Hamilton tailing Massa now.

Lap 29/78: Petrov pits, back in 13th.

Lap 30/78: Button P1, Vettel P2, Alonso P3. Alguersuari pits. Replays show Schumacher overtaking Rosberg for P14.

Lap 33/78: Glock is off. Barrichello pits. Button pits.

Lap 34/78: Di Resta pits. Replays show Massa and Hamilton making contact at the Loewe, very similar to what happened earlier between Alguersuari and Di Resta. Heidfeld and Buemi pit. Safety Car about to be deployed as Massa has crashed. Several drivers are pitting, Alonso is one of them. Schumacher has stopped just before the Rascasse, he’s out.

Lap 35/78: Replays show Massa running wide and crashing into the barriers, inside the tunnel.

Lap 37/78: Massa, Schumacher and Glock are out. Vettel P1, Button P2, Alonso P3, Sutil P4, Kobayashi, P5, Webber P6, Hamilton P7, Maldonado P8, Petrov P9, Heidfeld P10.

Lap 38/78: Still under Safety Car. The Safety Car leaves the track.

Lap 40/78: Incident between Hamilton and Massa is under investigation.

Lap 43/78: Race Control: drive through penalty for Hamilton for causing a collision.

Lap 44/78: Hamilton makes his drive through penalty and rejoins in ninth.

Lap 46/78: Replays show Di Resta going into the back of one of the Virgin’s, damaging his front wing.

Lap 47/78: Vettel P1, Button P2, Alonso P3.

Lap 48/78: Trulli pits.

Lap 49/78: Button pits and rejoins in third.

Lap 50/78: Pit stop for Hamilton.

Lap 52/78: Alonso is in a very strong position if he can get to the end of the race on this set of softs.

Lap 53/78: Alonso catching up Vettel, 3.2s.

Lap 54/78: Kovalainen pits.

Lap 55/78: Rosberg and Maldonado pit.

Lap 56/78: Webber pits from P6. He rejoins in P7.

Lap 58/78: Alonso has caught up Vettel. Alguersuari pits.

Lap 60/78: Button is just 4.7 seconds behind Alonso.

Lap 62/78: Button has caught up Alonso and Vettel.

Lap 64/78: Buemi pits.

Lap 67/78: Tight battle between the top three.

Lap 68/78: Webber passed Sutil for P5. Replays show Alonso cutting slightly the chicane after the tunnel.

Lap 69/78: Traffic jam ahead, the top three have to lap 5 cars. Petrov, Sutil and Alguersuari have crashed at the Swimming Pool. Vettel, Alonso and Button get past. Safety Car deployed.

Lap 70/78: Hamilton is running with a damaged rear wing.

Lap 72/78: Vettel still leading the race ahead of Alonso and Button. RED FLAG. An ambulance is now on the scene at the Swimming Pool. Alguersuari is OK. Looks like Petrov might be injured.

The cars have now stopped on the starting grid, as the race will resume when the track will be cleared.

The race will resume behind the Safety Car with the following positions: Vettel P1, then Alonso, Button, Kobayashi, Webber, Maldonado, Hamilton, Sutil, Heidfeld, Barrichello.

Race Control: the race will restart at 16:04 local time, that’s in 10 minutes.

Five minutes to race restart.

DRS has been disabled, with three minutes to go.

Alonso, Button and Vettel have fitted a new set of supersofts.

The race resumes.

Lap 73/78: Vettel, Alonso, Button, Kobayashi, Webber, Maldonado. Safety Car in this lap.

Lap 74/78: Maldonado made contact with Hamilton and crashed at the Ste. Devote. Maldonado is out.

Lap 75/78: Incident between Hamilton and Maldonado is under investigation.

Lap 76/78: Vettel, Alonso, Button, Kobayashi, Webber, Hamilton. DRS now enabled.

Lap 77/78: Webber makes it past Kobayashi for P4.

Lap 78/78: Sebastian Vettel crosses the finish line for first and wins the 58th edition of the Monaco Grand Prix ahead of Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button. Fourth place for Mark Webber, fifth for Kobayashi, sixth for Hamilton, seventh for Sutil, eighth for Heidfeld, ninth for Barrichello and tenth for Buemi.

2011 Monaco Grand Prix, Race results: