We're very excited to share this Monaco Race Recap with you from our guest blogger, Harrison L. Do you think Vettel can or will be stopped this year?
Everything Going Vettel’s Way
MONTE CARLO, Monaco – Sebastian Vettel powered to his fifth victory of the season with plenty of drama for the fans in beautiful Monte Carlo. Vettel won the pole Saturday after posting the fastest time of the day, with his time un-challenged because of the crash of rookie driver Sergio Perez. Perez, who gained his first points of the season last week in Barcelona was sent to the local hospital, but all reports indicate that there were not any major injuries.
On Sunday, Vettel’s luck continued as he, on heavily used Pirelli soft tires ("Prime Tyre" as the Brits say), was being pursued by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Jenson Button. With only six laps remaining and Vettel desperately holding on to the lead, Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari crashed and sent Renault’s Vitaly Petrov into the wall, taking him out of the race. The crash lead to a pause in the field, which gave Vettel the opportunity to change tires to the super-soft ("Option tyre"), and once the race resumed he easily pulled away to cross the finish line first.
VICTORY DRINK:Vettel celebrates with his Red Bull crew after winning the Monaco Grand Prix. (Source: Getty Images)
Vettel had lost the lead after starting first, due to a tire mix up in his first pit stop. That gave McLaren’s Jenson Button the lead, who extended the gap between him and Vettel but was forced to pit on lap 48, which gave Vettel the lead that he never relinquished.
Button remained in third, following Ferrari’s Alonso who was putting pressure on Vettel for what many wanted to be the remainder of the race. Vettel being chased by both Alonso and Button was the exhilaration that all of the fans wanted. However, the anticipation of a pass from Alonso or Button was quickly gone, after the chaotic crash of Alguersuari and Petrov with just six laps to go.
Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi snuck through the crash to put himself in fourth place for the restart, but he could not stay in front of Red Bull’s Webber who passed Kobayashi to place fourth, and gave Sauber fifth place.
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton had a rough outing from the beginning as he dropped to tenth place at the start. After a brilliant pass on Michael Schumacker, he then passed Ferrari’s Felipe Massa but they touched and Hamilton was given a drive-through penalty. He continued to fight back, and at the restart was given the opportunity to fix his rear wing that had been damaged in the Sutil crash. But at the restart he bumped with William’s Maldonado which the race stewards gave him an added twenty seconds to his finish. Even with all of his drama, he still picked up sixth place.
Force India’s Adrian Sutil piloted his team to seventh place, followed by Renault’s Nick Heidfeld in eighth, Ruben Barrichello of Williams in ninth, and Sebastien Buemi gaining a point for STR Ferrari in tenth.
Vettel’s win gives him 143 points, followed by Hamilton with 85, then Webber at 79, Button at 76, and Alonso with 69. With first and fourth finishes, Red Bull now has 222 points in the constructors standings, with McLaren at 161 and Ferrari at 93.
"Monaco" - Image Courtesy of Peter in 'Façonnable Inspirations'
The Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, Quebec June 10-12 is next up for the Formula 1 season, and it should provide great entertainment for those wondering if Vettel can continue his dominance, and if his teammate Mark Webber can get even or possibly pass McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton in the driver standings.