GP – Race: Hamilton, winner at the end of the suspense!

Lewis Hamilton managed to navigate through numerous obstacles to secure a remarkable victory in the rain at the Monaco Grand Prix and become the leader in the World Drivers’ Championship.

Robert Kubica in the BMW is 2nd ahead of Felipe Massa who completes the podium even though the latter dominated a large part of the race.

The palm of misfortune and sadness is awarded to Adrian Sutil and his modest Force India, who was in fourth place a few minutes before the checkered flag. Unfortunately, the reigning world champion, Kimi Räikkönen, came to spear him, and retirement for the German was inevitable.

This collision allowed Mark Webber (Red Bull) and Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso) to move into the top 5.

The rain arrived a few minutes before the start. The entire field began with intermediate tires, but Räikkönen saw things get complicated. Indeed, he received a drive-through penalty because he fitted his tires too late before the start of the race.

Heikki Kovalainen was also in trouble before the start as he stalled during the warm-up lap. He started the race from the pits.

Hamilton passed Räikkönen at Sainte Dévote on the first lap but couldn’t keep up with the pace set by Massa as conditions seriously deteriorated.

Inevitably, the first incidents did not take long: Jenson Button (Honda) lost his wing while trying to pass Nick Heidfeld on the first lap. Nico Rosberg needed a new nose on his Williams after an incident with Fernando Alonso.

The safety car made its first appearance on lap seven after a series of incidents near the Casino.

Alonso touched the safety rails like Hamilton did a few laps earlier. The Spaniard destroyed a rear tire but managed to return to the pits. Moments later, David Coulthard (Red Bull) slid at the same spot, hit by Sébastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso).

Alonso switched to rain tires during his pit stop for repairs, allowing him to stay in the race after three laps under the yellow flag.

But his chances of return were interrupted when his Renault tangled with Nick Heidfeld’s BMW at the Fairmont Hotel hairpin, breaking the wing again and causing a puncture on Heidfeld’s side.

Following this incident, Rosberg also lost his wing after contact with Kovalainen. These incidents allowed Kubica to end up in second place with Massa right behind him.

In just 13 seconds, we found Sutil who was having the race of his life.

The Force India driver also made the right tire choice by opting for slicks. A strategy that allowed him to gain an advantage over Webber.

Sutil enjoyed a comfortable lead over his pursuers before Rosberg in the Williams violently crashed into the safety rails near the pool on lap 61. The safety car was thus required for several laps. Any lead was nullified.

On a still-drying track, Räikkönen could not avoid the young Sutil in front of him. The German’s race was therefore ruined in a matter of seconds as he had to retire, while the Finn needed to change his front wing.

Once the safety car was withdrawn, Hamilton secured his first place by gaining precious seconds over Kubica and Massa. This marks the end of Scuderia’s winning streak.

Webber secures fourth place, just ahead of Vettel, who managed to hold off Rubens Barrichello (Honda).

Kazuki Nakajima and Kovalainen complete the top 8 while Räikkönen is only ninth after his mishap. Alonso is ranked 10th.

Results of the Race – Monaco GP 2008