Monaco GP: Double DNF for Williams

The AT&T Williams team would see their drivers start the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix from ninth and eleventh with Rubens Barrichello leading Nico Hulkenberg. The top ten drivers will all be starting on the softer tyres which would most likely see early stops in the seventy eight lap race. On the grid Rubens was asked "What can you do from here." He would respond by saying: " ... the only way is forward ... I am hopeful." The grid would get ready for the parade lap. One driver who would not start from the grid was Alonso who would start
from the pit lane. It was cloudy overhead as the drivers waited on the grid with Webber on pole from Kubica with Vettel in third. The grid would clear and away the field would go for their parade lap.

The grid would form up and the lights would go out and it would be Webber leading with Vettel passing Kubica at the run down to the first corner. Nico for an unknown reason had dropped to the back of the field. Rubens was running in an excellent sixth after making a great start. For Nico it would end in disaster as he was to have a big crash at the exit of the tunnel. Nico would run wide going through the tunnel and onto the dirty side of the track. He would go straight on an into the barrier in the tunnel. His car would come out the end of the tunnel with his car very badly damaged. Whether this was a mistake by Nico or some kind of failure with his car is yet to be determined.

The Safety Car would come out and we have Alonso would make a pit stop changing from soft to the harder tyre. Senna would also pit as we would see Button pull off with an engine failure. Hulkenberg's car had to be manhandled down the track as there was no crane near the tunnel exit. With four laps complete Webber was leading from Vettel, Kubica, Massa, Hamilton, Rubens, Schumacher, Rosberg, Liuzzi, and Sutil in tenth. The Safety Car would come in as they started lap seven. Webber was fastest on lap seven with a 1m:20.410. His
lead was 1.4 seconds over Vettel. Rubens was now 1.5 seconds behind Hamilton as Webber went faster on lap eighth with a 1m:19.625. Alonso was struggling to get past Di Grassi. Rubens was losing time to Hamilton with the gap now 2.1 seconds to Hamilton. Webber was increasing his lead and after lap nine it was out to 1.8 seconds. Another fastest lap on lap nine with a 1m:18.865.

lap ten and a 1m:18.519 from Webber. Rubens was now 3.2 seconds behind Hamilton. Seventh placed Schumacher was 1.1 seconds behind the Williams. Webber was now leading by 2.9 seconds from Vettel, with another fastest lap on lap eleven, 1m:18.325. Lap twelve and Webber was now 3.6 seconds in the lead while Rubens continued to
drop away from Hamilton, the gap out to 4.3 seconds. A 1m:17.979 from Webber on lap thirteen with his lead now 4.8 seconds. Webber was doing it quite comfortably. He would gain another 0.5 seconds on Vettel on lap fourteen to now be 5.3 seconds ahead. Webber was in a class of his own as reports came back that Nico had problems with his clutch peddle which explained why he had trouble getting away on the parade lap and would
start from the rear of the grid.

Lap sixteen and a 1m:17.784 from Webber with his lead now 7.0 seconds. Rubens was two seconds a lap slower than leader Webber. Lap eighteen and Hamilton would pit seeing Rubens move up to fifth. Hamilton would take on the harder tyre coming out in fifteenth just in front of Alonso. Was this planning on the part of McLaren to make sure that Hamilton was now running in front of Alonso who had already made his stop. Massa would pit
on lap twenty joined by Rubens, Schumacher, and Liuzzi. Schumacher would pass Rubens in the pits with all drivers taking on the harder tyre. Buemi would pit from sixth on lap twenty one, while Rosberg would go fastest on lap twenty, 1m:17.583. Webber continued to lead from Vettel and Kubica. Kubica would pit on lap twenty two joined by team-mate Petrov.

Lap twenty one and Rosberg was pushing setting a 1m:17.445 while Webber was now leading Vettel by 8.9 seconds and we would see Vettel pit on lap twenty three. Sutil would pit from fourth joined by De la Rosa. Webber was now leading Rosberg by 24.6 seconds but Webber would pit on lap twenty three taking on the harder tyre. Lap twenty three and Rosberg sets a new fastest lap with a 1m:17.403. Rosberg was still second from Webber but running close behind the Red Bull. Rosberg had yet to stop while Vettel was in third with Kubica right behind him. Kobayashi was fifth but yet to stop while Rubens was down in eleventh having lost out in the round of pit stops. Alonso was now in eighth with the order now Webber from Rosberg, Vettel, Kubica, Massa, Hamilton, Alonso, Schumacher, Sutil and Rubens.

Rosberg would finally pit on lap twenty nine coming back out behind team-mate Schumacher. Kovalainen would pit from fifteenth. Rubens was running in tenth followed closely by Liuzzi. Another fastest lap from Webber on lap thirty, 1m:17.372. Petrov would pit from fourteenth on lap thirty two. The Safety Car would again be deployed as we would see the Williams of Rubens stopped in the middle of the track looking badly damaged. His
accident happened going up the hill at Massenet as he started to turn left. It looked like he had a rear left wheel failure sending his car spinning and into the barrier. Rubens car was craned away as he walked away from the site of the accident. It was quite a violent accident as Ruben's car smashed into the barrier.

The Safety Car would come in on the start of lap thirty four with Webber quickly pulling out a lead over Vettel, 1.1 seconds after lap thirty four. Lap thirty five and Webber's lead was 1.7 seconds from Vettel. Kubica was third followed by Massa, Hamilton, Alonso, Schumacher, Rosberg, Sutil, and Liuzzi. The Safety Car would again be deployed with concerns over a drain cover at Turn three. The Safety Car would come back in on lap forty six and Webber would again take the start and was able to again open up another lead. By lap fifty his lead was out to 3.1 seconds from Vettel. Kubica was still third from Massa, Hamilton, Alonso, Schumacher, Rosberg, Sutil, and Liuzzi. Webber was doing it very easily at the front. Webber was going quicker and quicker as his fuel load came down. On lap fifty one it was a 1m:16.310.

A 1m:16.285 from Webber on lap fifty two. His lead continued to grow while behind him the gasp between the top ten were such that there was not a lot going on. A 1m:15.999 from Webber on lap fifty three to be half a second quicker than Vettel. Webber would continue to lead Vettel as the laps counted down but on lap seventy five the safety Car would be deployed as a result of Trulli and Chandhok having a coming together with Trulli's car riding over the to of the HRT car. Trulli hit the side of the HRT car and flew over the top of
Chandhok with Chandhok putting his hands up to cover his head. The floor of Trulli's had come close to the top of Chandhok's helmet. Petrov would pit with a break problem to retire. Webber would continue to run behind the Safety Car with seventy six laps complete. As they cleared away the damaged cars it was looking like the race would finish under the Safety car.

Webber would start his final lap behind the Safety Car but they would pull the Safety car in at the end of the lap allowing Webber to cross the line not behind the Safety Car. He would take the chequered flag in the normal way to win the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix. A one -two for Red Bull with Vettel second. Kubica was in third from Massa, Hamilton, Schumacher, Alonso, Rosberg, Sutil, and Liuzzi in tenth. Schumacher was able to pass Alonso going into the last corner in an opportunistic passing move. As for the AT&T Williams team this would be a race that they could take little away from with both cars retiring in major accidents. The team now has to sort itself out and ensure that they work towards a good result in the next race in Turkey.

Pos  Driver  	   Team		  	      Time
 1.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           1h50:00.000
 2.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           +     0.448
 3.  Kubica        Renault                    +     1.600
 4.  Massa         Ferrari                    +     2.600
 5.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes           +     4.300
 6.  Schumacher    Mercedes                   +     5.700
 7.  Alonso        Ferrari                    +     6.300
 8.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   +     6.600
 9.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes       +     6.900
10.  Liuzzi        Force India-Mercedes       +     7.300
11.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +     8.100
12.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +     9.100
13.  Petrov        Renault                    +    4 laps

Fastest lap: Vettel, 1m:15.192

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                         On lap
Chandhok      HRT-Cosworth                 71
Trulli        Lotus-Cosworth               71
Kovalainen    Lotus-Cosworth               59
Senna         HRT-Cosworth                 59
Barrichello   AT&T Williams-Cosworth       28
Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari               27
Di Grassi     Virgin-Cosworth              26
Glock         Virgin-Cosworth              23
De la Rosa    Sauber-Ferrari               22
Button        McLaren-Mercedes             3
Hulkenberg    AT&T Williams-Cosworth       1