Fernando Alonso wins 2006 Monaco Grand Prix

May 28, 2006

Fernando Alonso won the FIA Formula-1 Monaco Grand Prix for the first time in his career today.

During Saturday's qualifying session, Michael Schumacher made a strange mistake in the La Rascasse corner, when he driver locked his car's wheels, bringing the vehicle to a halt and finished the race causing the drivers behind him to lose time on their fast laps. After a long investigation the FIA's stewards decided to cancel all his fast laps as a penalty for the unsporting behaviour displayed by him. Article 112 of the regulations, applied by FIA, prevents the F1 team Ferrari to appeal this decision. Thus, Schumacher and Felipe Massa, who crashed his car earlier in the qualification, were last on the starting grid. The Ferrari team decided to change the engine in both cars, because there was no more stringent penalty that could have been imposed on them. Michael started the race from the pit-lane.

Alonso was in the lead for the most of the race. Kimi Raikkonen and Mark Webber, who were the only serious competitors to Alonso for the first part of the race, lost their cars (due to engine failure) almost simultaneously, one by one. After that Alonso drove to victory with little opposition from the other drivers.

With a huge gap from the Spaniard, McLaren driver Juan-Pablo Montoya took second place.

The circuit was a great success for Red Bull team as David Coulthard came in at third place.

There was no traditional champaign douse after the race in memory of Édouard Michelin, one of the owner of Michelin company died a couple of days before the race.