Fans of F1 can always rely on the Monaco GP to supply drama excitement and glamour, the race that epitomises all that is wonderful about Formula one

This weekend is the sixtieth anniversary of the inaugural F1 race, held at Silverstone and won by Nino Farina. That the championship should have grown over the sixty years to a global phenomenon is due in no small part to the iconic Monaco race. The Principality, a Mecca for the wealthy and powerful, presents the fans, both avid and casual, the ultimate backdrop to the drama that always unfolds on the tight street circuit.

The qualifying on Saturday was a huge disappointment for all Ferrari and Alonso fans. The Spaniard was expected to be on the front row, if not on pole, regrettably he lost control in practice and crashed into the barriers just before the top of the hill prior to the left turn into Casino Square. Fernando's car was badly damaged, rendering repair in time for the first session impossible. (Sadly, Ferrari did not allow him Massa's car to take part in Saturday's activities). Alonso looked like a caged animal, as he had to sit out on the sidelines and watch his championship competitors battle for the fastest time. He had to start the race from the pits behind 23 cars. A top ten finish, required for points, would require a drive of real champion.

The Red Bulls' of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, produced once again impressive qualifying times, with Webber taking Pole for the second consecutive race. Vettel was third on the grid behind the surprisingly quick Renault of Robert Kubica. Kubica is a highly respected driver, but the Renault package was not thought capable of beating Mercedes, McLaren or Ferrari.    

Button, last year's winner, was disappointing in eighth place of the grid behind his teammate Hamilton in fifth. Schumacher was just piped by Nico Rosberg and started in seventh place, and the increasingly frustrating Felipe Massa in fourth.

Regular readers will know that Aferabc are not great fans of Mark Webber, if he had not won from pole at Monaco in the dry he would have confirmed our thoughts that he lacks the mental strength to become the drivers' champion. He confounded our expectations by producing a great display of speed and concentration to win the race.

The finish line time sheets would imply it was close. However, in reality the race was beset by the safety car that, on four occasions reduced Webbers lead and made the result look close, when in fact Webber, on the day, was in a different league to the others save the truly remarkable Fernando Alonso who crossed the line in seventh place, but was awarded sixth.

(Schumacher who finished in sixth was penalised 20 seconds due to a rule violation relating to an overtaking move on Alonso at the last corner when the race resumed after a safety car incident, Schumacher penalty places him in 12th).
 
Sebastian Vettel seemed a little out of sorts this weekend, his second place finish the result of a good start propelling him to the first corner just in front of Robert Kubica who finished the day in a very creatable third place. Vettel will be unhappy that he was bested again by his teammate Webber, and even more because that Australian was so dominant.

Massa will be happy that he had an uneventful weekend and finishing in fourth, perhaps more than his performance warranted. Lewis Hamilton crossed the line in fifth place. He gave a very odd interview after the race, the tenor of which was he was bored by the race. He really does seem to be regressing in his out of car abilities.
 
The most disappointed driver of the day must be Jenson Button, his team, the normally super efficient McLaren had not removed a ventilation stopper from the side pod before the formation lap, and the engine quickly overheated. He was forced to retire after just three laps.  His disappointment made greater by also losing his top spot in the championship standings to Mark Webber, who is joined by Vettel on 78 points. Alonso holds on to third and Button had dropped to fourth.

The luckiest driver of the weekend is Karun Chanhok who on lap 74 had a dramatic collision with Jarno Trulli; the Lotus of Trulli crashed up and on top of the Hispania of Chanhok and the 'flying' car only just missed the young Indian's head. Both drivers walked away unhurt, but it was clear to all that we had witnessed a very near miss of serious injury or worse.

The four safety car incidents could have ruined the race spectacle; instead, they merely served to increase the tension. The only driver to take great advantage was Alonso, who once again illustrated why he is still the favourite to win the championship.   

The pace of the Red Bull's will concern all the big teams, and the team engineers will be working flat-out to find a little extra performance before the next race in Turkey. The point differentials are still small, but the performance differential today and at last week's race in Spain was great. Another win by a Red Bull driver in Istanbul would cause the momentum to swing towards Christian Horner's team, and teams may start to look towards next year rather than continuing to expend great sums developing this year's cars.

The Monaco GP is much more than just another race on the crowded F1 calendar, for most drivers, if not all, it is the race they most want to win. (The more politically correct will always name their home GP first). Webber today joined the pantheon of Monaco winners, many of whom went on to win the championship. He certainly has the car, and in winning two consecutive races he seems to have his demons under control...... Mr Alonso will have taken note!

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