Vettel again
May 29, 2011
Reigning Champion Sebastian Vettel took yet another Formula One trophy at Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix. The German grabbed his fifth victory in six races this season after a thrilling and incident-packed course.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso came in second, while McLaren's Jenson Button got the last spot on the podium.
"I am extremely happy," Vettel said. "It was a fantastic race. I am honored to put my name on this winners' list here. We took risks and were rewarded."
Taking a gamble
Vettel took a gamble by staying on the same set of soft tires for a full 56 laps with Alonso and Button on his tail. Vettel looked like he'd have a hard time holding on to the lead when the race was suddenly halted after a dramatic crash by Vitaly Petrov during lap 71.
"I was targeting to go long," Vettel said. "The only chance to win this race was to stay out. It would have been a difficult in the last laps, but then the cars ahead of us crashed."
While Petrov was taken to the hospital, the race was suspended for 21 minutes and all teams used the break to put on fresh tires.
Once the race was re-started behind the safety car, Alonso and Button had no chance to challenge Vettel during the final six laps.
Vettel way ahead of Hamilton
Vettel's main rival, Lewis Hamilton, ended up coming in sixth and is now a full 58 points behind the German Red Bull rider in the overall standings.
Initial concerns about the Petrov crash were dismissed soon after the race by Renault team principal Eric Boullier.
"Vitaly is OK," he said. "He's just complaining about leg injuries, but the doctors say nothing is broken. They are taking him to hospital for observation, but it seems to be just bruising to the legs."
Petrov wasn't the only one not to finish the course. Jaime Alguersuari was involved in the Petrov crash and had to leave the race in lap 71.
Both Michael Schumacher's and Felipe Massa's race ended during lap 34, with Schumacher's car stalling and Massa crashing in the tunnel. Timo Glock only made it as far as lap 34.
Author: Holly Fox (AP, dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Andreas Illmer