Highlights

Alonso posts landmark win for McLaren

(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-05-28 08:49

It was also Alonso's second win this season, following his maiden win for the team in Malaysia, and the team's second one-two. They did the same by finishing in the same order in Kuala Lumpur.

Alonso won last year's Monaco Grand Prix for Renault, so this was his second win in the Principality and lifted him to the top of this year's drivers' championship standings ahead of Hamilton on races won.

Massa came home third for Ferrari and was the only driver not lapped by the 25-year-old Spaniard and 22-year-old Briton in the race.

Italian Giancarlo Fisichella was fourth for Renault, Poland's Robert Kubica fifth for BMW Sauber ahead of his team-mate German Nick Heidfeld.

Austrian Alex Wurz was seventh for Williams and Finn Kimi Raikkonen, who started from 16th position on the grid, came home eighth to grab a point for Ferrari.

The race did not produce a single notable passing move and was hardly a thrilling exposition of the thrills of Formula One as Alonso came home in a winning time of one hour 40 minutes and 29.329 seconds, at an average speed of more than 260 kph, on the 3.340 kms circuit.

Alonso made a smooth start and swept unchallenged down the road to Ste Devote and up the hill towards Casino Square ahead of Hamilton in second.

The order behind them settled down immediately into a predictable order with Massa third ahead of Fisichella, Heidfeld and the German-born Nico Rosberg in his Williams.

In front of a big crowd, estimated at more than 120,000 the race soon turned into a routine procession.

Hamilton, seeking to become the first driver in his rookie season to win the Monaco Grand Prix, chased Alonso hard, but more than seven seconds behind him before the first round of pit-stops.

These allowed him to lead for three laps from lap 36 to 39 until he pitted himself and Alonso regained the advantage.

It is by now clearly a one-team race, but there seemed little chance of Hamilton passing his partner as the team controlled the gap and ensured that McLaren had plenty to celebrate