FORMULA 1 Live

Monaco GP - The Race (78 Laps)

Sunday May 24, 2009 | Finished

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Live Commentary

  1. - Button now stands 16 points clear of Barrichello at the summit of the World Championship.

  2. - Button goes for a jog down the track as if he isn't at all tired - in fact, he sounded more wired than tired after screaming 'Monaco baby!' having crossed the finish line - and lifts the cup on the podium. A happy chappy.

  3. - You can see the results on the left-hand side.

  4. 0' Massa is fourth ahead of Webber and Rosberg. Alonso and Bourdais complete the points positions.

  5. 0' Behind him team-mate Barrichello takes second and Raikkonen completes the podium.

  6. 0' JENSON BUTTON WINS THE MONACO GRAND PRIX!!

  7. 1' Disaster for Nakajima as he crashes out at Mirabeau on the final lap. He wouldn't have scored any points anyway, but a shame nonetheless.

  8. 2' Button two laps from a famous victory, again dominant at the front of the field in the Brawn.

  9. 3' Who have you got in your fantasy team? Remind yourself by clicking here.

  10. 4' The order: 1. Button 2. Barrichello 3. Raikkonen 4. Massa 5. Webber 6. Rosberg 7. Alonso 8. Bourdais 9. Fisichella 10. Nakajima 11. Glock 12. Heidfeld 13. Trulli 14. Hamilton 15. Sutil

  11. 5' Glock in 11th is over 12 seconds clear of them though so there isn't anything else on offer for Lewis.

  12. 6' Hamilton will attack soon, you can tell he is relishing a bit of a challenge after spending most of the race all alone...

  13. 7' Hamilton now battling Heidfeld, who recently ran off the track, for 12th.

  14. 8' Button on the radio telling his team he doesn't want to catch the cars he will lap soon in case of an accident. He should have plenty of breathing space to ease off a little.

  15. 9' What are the drivers' standings looking like before the end of this race? Standings

  16. 10' Alonso back in seventh nearly eight seconds behind Rosberg.

  17. 11' Hamilton setting personal best sectors all over the place with his new nose. Perhaps if Nicole Scherzinger asks him nicely, he'll buy her a new nose too.

  18. 12' Button and Barrichello steady for Brawn at the front. When exactly are they supposed to be caught by the other teams in terms of performance?

  19. 13' And in comes Rosberg before Alonso pits, with Sutil almost ramming him side-on as the Spaniard exits the pit-lane. The Force India has been lapped - get out of the way!!

  20. 14' Another retiree, McLaren's Kovalainen: "I just lost the car at the high-speed chicane. I lost the rear end and couldn't catch it. That was it. Nico was in front of me all the way; I had a difficult time at start of race getting the tyres to grip but things were going okay before the crash: I tried to follow him close and would have attacked when he pitted the next time."

  21. 15' Ferrari in third and fourth losing a bit of performance. This would represent a fabulous result for the Scuderia, given their recent woes.

  22. 16' The gap at the front is still around 13 seconds.

  23. 17' Alonso in seventh 10.7 seconds behind Webber.

  24. 18' Webber told to be cool behind Rosberg and save his tyres because the Williams will have to come in before the end - and he will assume fifth spot as a result.

  25. 19' So only 19 laps to go of this 78-lap race. Are there any other dramas to come?

  26. 20' Vettel on his mistake: "I was braking a little too late and lost the car and hit the wall. We lost a lot of time on the wrong tyres in the first stint and were confident that the other tyres would work in the short stint, but they didn't. Of course it's disappointing: I'm standing here and not in the car. At Monaco, if you make a mistake you have to pay the price."

  27. 21' Button assumes the lead and is 13 seconds clear of Barrichello in second. Button has finished second here in the past but also suffered his fair share of horrorshows.

  28. 22' Bourdais set for a point in eighth, having made up six places from the start. Good work by the Toro Rosso man.

  29. 23' And it's immaterial anyway as Massa and Webber come in to pit. They rejoin either side of Rosberg in fourth and sixth.

  30. 24' Massa now taking 0.1s a lap out of Button ahead of him. The nightmare for Jenson would be if the Brazilian were to get carried away and run into him: perhaps having overdone it on the KERS... I'm daydreaming...

  31. 25' A woeful weekend for McLaren then - but Hamilton's team have work to do nonetheless as they change the nose. He must have whacked it somewhere - apparently it was early in the race.

  32. 26' Kovalainen crashes out of the race at Swimming Pool!! He went wide at the entry and when he exited he lost the back end - in the same way that Massa did in the early part of Q1 yesterday.

  33. 27' Button into the pits and Raikkonen sneaks past as he exits. But the Flying Finn will have to come in again...

  34. 28' The Briton consistently setting 1:15.2s out there. Barrichello comes in for fuel and is fifth when he rejoins.

  35. 29' And Button hardly easing off - he sets a fastest lap as he smoothly guides his BGP 001 around this Monaco circuit.

  36. 30' Kimi a couple of second behind but taking 0.2s and 0.5s off every lap...

  37. 31' Button 15.8 seconds clear of Barrichello, who is being caught by Raikkonen...

  38. 32' Hamilton is struggling - Heidfeld some way ahead of him does not have to stop again, having come in a few laps ago. And guess what? Lewis does.

  39. 33' Raikkonen now cuts the chicane, not intentional of course, just trying to go into the corner too quickly.

  40. 34' Massa gets out of shape but keeps control of his Ferrari - he really used his rear tyres there...

  41. 35' Button is around 16 seconds clear of Barrichello.

  42. 36' Bourdais and Fisichella are leaving Nakajima behind.

  43. 37' Check out the latest edition of The Factory, inside the Williams team, by clicking here.

  44. 38' And Massa again goes over the chicane without any tyres on the track - he'd better be careful...

  45. 39' The scenery really is something at this race: the yachts, the tunnel, the apartments overhanging...

  46. 40' Webber and Raikkonen second and third fastest in the one-lap lists behind Massa. Then come the Brawns.

  47. 41' The order then: 1. Button 2. Barrichello 3. Raikkonen 4. Massa 5. Webber 6. Rosberg 7. Kovalainen 8. Bourdais 9. Fisichella 10. Alonso 11. Heidfeld 12. Nakajima 13. Trulli 14. Glock 15. Hamilton 16. Sutil

  48. 42' The blue flag comes out and Hamilton, who is all alone, moves over. The reigning world champion cuts a forlorn figure, even in a racecar.

  49. 43' Button about to lap Hamilton. Now there is a moment of poignancy.

  50. 44' And the Brazilian lays down a .757 to better that mark. The stewards have warned Massa not to jump the chicane.

  51. 45' Massa sets the fastest lap of the grand prix so far: 1:15.759. He is a couple of seconds behind Raikkonen.

  52. 46' Raikkonen looking to catch up to Barrichello, but not getting very far.

  53. 47' Barrichello taking chunks out of Button, 0.2s a lap. However he is so far clear you imagine that only a technical problem would see him lose this, even with 47 laps to go...

  54. 48' Kubica retires with a technical problem. He has got 'Happy birthday Mini' written on the side of his car - which is driving a bit like a Mini, you could say, and one of the old ones at that.

  55. 49' The Toyotas of Trulli and Glock are well clear of Hamilton, who is 16th with only Sutil behind him.

  56. 50' And in comes Alonso. He re-emerges in 11th behind Fisichella.

  57. 51' Who do you support in the salary cap row? Vote on our F1 page - or just see the present results here.

  58. 52' The field is more spaced out now.

  59. 53' Alonso in the sister Renault is also on a looooooong stint, still to come in.

  60. 54' Piquet is philosophical: "It's a pity because it was clear that everyone was queuing behind Vettel - then the young driver behind me ran into me. I don't know what he was thinking: at Monaco you have to be careful, it is a long race. My start was perfect and I had a perfect strategy: I had a long first stint to do on the hard tyres - if everything had worked out I was going to finished seventh."

  61. 55' Button seems set for a maiden win in Monaco already, 16.6 seconds clear of his team-mate.

  62. 56' Webber pits and manages to edge out Rosberg on the exit to stand sixth, good work by Red Bull.

  63. 57' So three retirements at the time of speaking and Button seemingly in control. Hamilton is trying to drive aggressively but there is not enough space on this track.

  64. 58' Massa in and back out ahead of Rosberg. Hamilton 16th at present.

  65. 59' FIA president Max Mosley reckons the budget cap is still very much on but may be phased in: Mosley: Budget cap may be phased in

  66. 60' Kovalainen, Webber and Alonso the three drivers who have not yet stopped ahead of Rosberg - third, fourth and seventh respectively.

  67. 61' Massa now directly behind Button but is yet to stop. Rosberg comes in to hand the lead back to the Briton. He rejoins in eighth.

  68. 62' Button comes in next and Rosberg assumes the lead. Good news for those who have the German in their Fantasy Grand Prix side.

  69. 62' Raikkonen rejoined in seventh and VETTEL IS OUT!! He lost control at Sainte Devote... yellow flags... and in comes Barrichello.

  70. 63' Raikkonen was actually on the harder tyres and replaces them like for like as he dives into the pit-lane.

  71. 64' Barrichello backing Raikkonen up miles behind Button, although you can be sure that the former would rather be battling his team-mate for first place...

  72. 65' There are all sorts of problems with the soft tyres, especially on the Brawns... Barrichello may come in soon... and the other teams know all about it!!

  73. 66' And Piquet is also forced out by the damage to his Renault. A shame for the Eurosport-Yahoo! blogger - it wasn't his fault.

  74. 67' Hamilton has pitted too as Piquet is shunted into the barriers from behind by a careering Buemi. The rear wing of the R29 is damaged but he drives it back on to the track... the Toro Rosso man is out.

  75. 68' Rosberg and Massa through past Vettel, who is struggling... he will pit.

  76. 69' Button tearing through the tunnel and away from his colleague Barrichello, who is told by the team to look after his fragile tyres.

  77. 70' Vettel's tyres are apparently wearing very quickly and Rosberg is right behind him in the Williams...

  78. 71' Massa tries again and is frustrated by Vettel before he accidentally goes straight over the chicane. He gives the German the place back... and allows Nico Rosberg through too!! Massive error by the Brazilian!!

  79. 72' Vettel does well to defend against Massa at the chicane.

  80. 73' The only change in the top 10 compared with the starting grid is Barrichello moving past Finn Raikkonen of Ferrari. Nelson Piquet Jr is 11th from Seb Buemi, Seb Bourdais, Adrian Sutil, Giancarlo Fisichella and Nick Heidfeld. Hamilton is next.

  81. 74' Button with a 1:18.2, the fastest lap yet after Barrichello's quickest the lap before.

  82. 75' Both the front-running Brawns and Ferraris are on super-soft tyres. Barrichello is going very quickly and both Brawns are pulling away.

  83. 76' Robert Kubica in the equally-poor BMW pits: he must have had some contact somewhere. Hamilton 17th.

  84. 77' Hamilton slings his McLaren out and moves past Jarno Trulli, whose Toyota has performed woefully this weekend. The Brit now 18th.

  85. 78' Sebastian Vettel is fourth ahead of Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg, Heikki Kovalainen, Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso and Kazuki Nakajima.

  86. 78' Brilliant start for Button and Rubens Barrichello, the second Brawn moving up into second spot with Kimi Raikkonen third after starting on the front row.

  87. 78' And we are GO GO GO!!!

  88. - Off they go on the warm-up lap...

  89. - Wind speed is 1.8 m/s, track temp 42 degrees, air temp 25 degrees, 58 per cent humidity.

  90. - The cars of Brawn duo Button and Barrichello are the heaviest in the top eight - which makes the pole all the more special.

  91. - To see the starting grid and qualifying times, as well as commentary, you can find it here.

  92. - To see the weather forecast click here.

  93. - There is a Briton at the front and another at the back as Jenson Button of Brawn GP starts on pole and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton occupies the last spot on the grid.

  94. - It is a sunny day in Monaco as the drivers ready themselves on the grid for the classic Monaco Grand Prix.

Circuit Map

Monaco Circuit
 

About the Monaco GP

Length 3.340 km
Laps 78 (260.520 Km)
Last Year 1, 2, 3 1. L. Hamilton 2. R. Kubica 3. F. Massa
Record Lap M. Schumacher - 1'14''439 (2004, Ferrari)
Record Pole F. Alonso - 1'13''962 (2006, Renault)
Last Year Pole F. Massa - 1'15''787 (Ferrari)

Previous winners

Year Driver
2008 L.Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 F.Alonso (McLaren)
2006 F. Alonso (Renault)
2005 K. Raikkonen (McLaren)
2004 J. Trulli (Renault)
2003 J-P. Montoya (Williams)
2002 D. Coulthard (McLaren)
2001 M. Schumacher (Ferrari)
2000 D. Coulthard (McLaren)
1999 M. Schumacher (Ferrari)
1998 M. Hakkinen (McLaren)
1997 M. Schumacher (Ferrari)
1996 O. Panis (Ligier)
1995 M. Schumacher (Benetton)
1994 M. Schumacher (Benetton)
1993 A. Senna (McLaren)
1992 A. Senna (McLaren)
1991 A. Senna (McLaren)
1990 A. Senna (McLaren)
1989 A. Senna (McLaren)
1988 A. Prost (McLaren)

Comment 20 - 39 of 79

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  1. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    can someone tell me , why we have a monaco grand prix .­ if you get pole , you nearly always win. what is the­ point. yes it is a very pretty place , but what does­ that have to do with drivers racing against each other.­ oh !! sorry , there is money involved isnt there.­ nothing to do with driving then. alan g

    From Alan G, on Sun 24 May 2:22PM
  2. say again Mickey.....

    From usalien1967, on Sun 24 May 2:12PM
  3. I have realised that Jenson has number 22.
    The number­ that Lewis had last season?
    Is the number­ lucky?
    Maybe....

    From DEBBY, on Sun 24 May 2:12PM
  4. give heiki some credit the man can race... mickyfin8

    From mickyfin8, on Sun 24 May 2:07PM
  5. anybody raikonenn fans

    From srinath, on Sun 24 May 2:04PM
  6. I thought Ferrari were well-funded. Why do they insist­ on cutting corners? hehe

    From usalien1967, on Sun 24 May 2:03PM
  7. c'mon Rosberg !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    From Renan, on Sun 24 May 2:02PM
  8. Come on Button and Brawn!!! keep it up

    From Tree, on Sun 24 May 2:01PM
  9. 'Don't cut the chicane but keep pushing'

    From jjmalone, on Sun 24 May 2:00PM
  10. lewis has to learn, just like jenson did, he is now­ really on a role.. 2 brilliant brits.,,
    ­ mickyfin8

    From mickyfin8, on Sun 24 May 1:58PM
  11. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Lewis 'Pinocchio' Hamilton is lucky that he is­ not suspended from Grand Prix driving, after blatantly­ lying to race stewards in an attempt to cheat a worthy­ competitor who finished s race ahead of him.

    From Tom..., on Sun 24 May 1:58PM
  12. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    ferari is the king of automobiles

    From srinath, on Sun 24 May 1:57PM
  13. I hope Force India get a point

    From jjmalone, on Sun 24 May 1:57PM
  14. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    common raikiiiiiiiiiiii common

    From srinath, on Sun 24 May 1:55PM
  15. Very disappointed about Vettel losing the chapionship­ today. Ferrari's are very fast today

    From jjmalone, on Sun 24 May 1:54PM
  16. iam tentioned morning onwards for f1 live
    thanks allot­ to yahoo

    From srinath, on Sun 24 May 1:54PM
  17. i thanks to yahoo live update... iam from india

    From srinath, on Sun 24 May 1:53PM
  18. To think that Lewis Hamilton won the Monaco Grand Prix­ last year and is struggling so much this year, still a­ quality driver and will come back better and stronger­ next year.
    Button to win today, do it for the brits.

    From Rachel, on Sun 24 May 1:52PM
  19. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    comman massa and raikoo

    From srinath, on Sun 24 May 1:51PM
  20. Am wondering why Kimi is on hard tyre??? god damn it ,­ what d @#$% strategy that Ferrari have.

    From Amir, on Sun 24 May 1:46PM
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