Before I begin this bright Memorial Day morning I'd like to take a moment to remember the many brave men and women that have fought and died defending our country, and I'd also like to extend a word of gratitude to those of you currently serving in the armed forces.  All of us here at eMercedesBenz thank you for your dedication and the many sacrifices you've made - our hearts and prayers our with you - and we wish you all a safe and speedy return home.

Because of the holiday stories will be brief today, but after taking the day off Friday, there are a couple things I wanted to bring you so as to avoid falling too far behind in our Mercedes news coverage.  First up, a quick recap of the F1 race that transpired in Monaco over the weekend, so as usual:  if you don't have it TIVO'd, keep reading for the full details of what transpired.

In qualifying, things got off to a fantastic start for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, with drivers Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen earning the third and fourth positions on the starting grid, respectively. From there, things took a turn for both better and worse, with Lewis overtaking Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen to move into second on the opening lap (trailing Ferrari's Felipe Massa) while Heikki dropping to 19th after being unable to engage a gear.

On lap 6, Lewis touched the barrier with his right rear wheel and damaged his tire, resulting in a 8.3 second pit stop. He then resumed the race in fifth, while Heikki had moved up two positions into 17th.

On lap 8, following a collision between David Coulthard of Red Bull Renault and Sébastien Bourdais of Toro Rosso Ferrari, the Safety Car was deployed, with Lewis was now holding fourth and Heikki moving up into 15th. The race restarted on lap 10, and by lap 23, Lewis had moved into third while Heikki had jumped into 10th place.

Following Robert Kubica's pit st op on lap 26, Lewis moved into second place, and seven laps later, he then took the lead following the pit stop of Felipe Massa.

On laps 34 and 49, Heikki made two pit stops (10sec and 7.4sec, respectively), after which he held the thirteenth position. At lap 54, Lewis noted a 37.6 second lead over Felip Massa when he made a refueling stop and changed tires, resuming the race in first.

On lap 62, the Safety Car was deployed again as a result of the accident of Nico Rosberg (Williams Toyota), eliminating Lewis' 40 second gap.  On lap 67, the race restarted, with Lewis maintaining the lead position, and on lap 76, Hamilton finished the race in first, beating Robert Kubica by 3.0 seconds and Felipe Massa by 4.8 seconds.  Heikki, on the other hand, finished eighth.

As a result of his victory (his second of the season), Lewis now holds first in the driver's rankings for the season with 38 points, with Kimi Raikkonen ranks second with 35 points after his ninth place finish for the day.  In the Constructor's Championship, Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes moved up to second with the victory to 53 points, while Ferrari leads with 69 points.

To learn more about how the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team performed in the Monaco Grand Prix, keep reading for the official press release and photos from the event.

Enjoy.















OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


F1 Monaco: Victory and Championship Lead for Lewis Hamilton

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the Monaco Grand Prix and took the lead in the Formula One Drivers’ Championship. After two hours and 76 laps (253.840 kms), he took the chequered flag 3.0sec ahead of Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) and 4.8sec ahead of Felipe Massa (Ferrari). Lewis’s team mate Heikki Kovalainen came home eighth. He was not able to engage a gear at the beginning of the formation lap and therefore had to start from the pit lane. It is Lewis’ sixth Grand Prix victory and the second of the season after Australia. For McLaren it is the 15th victory in Monaco, and the sixth for the McLaren Mercedes partnership within 11 Grands Prix since Mika Häkkinen won in 1998. After the sixth of 18 Grands Prix, Lewis took the lead in the drivers’ ranking with 38 points ahead of Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari/35) who was ninth today. Heikki is sixth overall with 15 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes moved up to second with 53 points; Ferrari leads with 69 points.

The start: Short before the race a light rain began to fall. Lewis and Heikki had qualified third and fourth respectively; both were on intermediate tyres. Lewis overtook Kimi Räikkönen at the start and was second after the opening lap, behind Felipe Massa. Heikki started from the pit lane, because he was not able to engage a gear at the beginning of the formation lap. The Finn was 19th after the first lap.

The race, lap 3: More rain began to fall.

Lap 6: At the Tabac corner, Lewis touched the barrier with his right rear wheel and damaged the tyre. He pitted (8.3sec) and resumed in fifth place whilst Heikki was 17th.

Lap 8: Following an accident of David Coulthard (Red Bull Renault) and Sébastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso Ferrari), the Safety Car was deployed. Lewis was now fourth and Heikki 15th.

Lap 10: Re-start.

Lap 14: Lewis was third and Heikki 13th.

Lap 23: Heikki improved to 10th place.

Lap 26: After Robert Kubica’s pit stop, Lewis was now second.

Lap 30: Lewis reduced the gap behind leader Felipe Massa whilst Heikki got stuck in a group of four behind Jarno Trulli (Toyota).

Lap 33: Lewis took the lead when Felipe Massa pitted.

Lap 34: Heikki came in for his first pit stop (10sec) and dropped to 17th place.

Lap 49: Heikki came in for his second stop (7.4sec) and changed to dry tyres; he resumed in 13th place.

Lap 54: Lewis led with 37.6sec ahead of Felipe Massa when he came in for his refueling stop. He changed to dry tyres, rejoined the race after 7sec and maintained the lead. Heikki was 11th.

Lap 62: The Safety Car was deployed again after an accident of Nico Rosberg (Williams Toyota) and Lewis lost his 40sec gap.

Lap 67: Re-start. Lewis maintained his lead.

Finish (lap 76): Lewis won 3.0sec ahead of Robert Kubica and 4.8sec ahead of Felipe Massa. Heikki came home eighth. The race was cut short by two laps after the two-hour mark was reached.

Comments

Lewis Hamilton
"I am absolutely over the moon. To win here in Monaco is the highlight of my career and an occasion I will always remember. I want to thank everybody in the team for their fantastic job, and also my family for their continuous support. It was a very eventful race. I started well and immediately overtook Kimi, and also saw a chance to attack Felipe, but then the rain got heavier and visibility worsened. At the Tabac corner, there was a lot of water on the track, and suddenly I had oversteer and hit the barrier. It was just a slight touch, but the tyre was damaged and I had to pit. Fortunately, the first Safety Car period helped me to close the gap to the front. We changed our strategy, and I had to make only one more stop. When I was about 40 seconds ahead the team told me over the radio to take it easy. The second Safety Car period brought more excitement, but I was able to control the race also after the second re-start. What a day and what a result !”

Heikki Kovalainen
“An extremely difficult race with any chance of finishing in a top position already gone when I could not engage a gear at the start of the formation lap. Consequently I had to change the steering wheel in the pit lane from where I had to start my race. I tried to push as hard as I could, but could only go at my real pace when there was a gap. It is a pity, because my car was good and the speed was there. At least I scored one point at the end and now look forward to the next Grands Prix where I will go maximum attack to finish with good results.”

Ron Dennis
“Today was a great day – and a fantastic team performance. Our guys instigated a brilliant strategy change, under pressure, after Lewis touched the Tabac barrier and damaged his right rear tyre early in the race. Had Heikki not had a problem on the grid, we would have had the pace for a 1-2 finish. That was a disappointment for him and us, but he drove a fantastic race thereafter and his time will surely come. Lewis’s sensational win has taken him back to the lead of the Drivers’ World Championship - and we now go to Montreal, scene of his first grand prix win 12 months ago, in a strong position to continue our challenge for the Championships. A great victory for the team and all of our Partners.”

Norbert Haug
"Lewis was sensational and his performance was just terrific. We had the best strategy, the best speed and certainly a little luck as well. For me, this sixth victory in Monaco for McLaren and Mercedes and 54th in total together with McLaren is our greatest so far. Sorry for Heikki, without his problem in selecting first gear at the start of the formation lap he would have been a very strong contender for a podium finish – at least he scored one point. A big thank you to the whole team who worked so hard and to all our partners, particularly Vodafone for all their support. The fight for the championship is wide open, and we certainly want to go for it. "

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