2008 Monaco Grand Prix

The 2008 Monaco Grand Prix, otherwise known as the LXVI Grand Prix de Monaco, was the sixth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco, on 25 May 2008.'6. Monaco 2008', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)'Monaco 2008: Lewis bounces Ta-bac.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 25/05/2008), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/62276/1/monaco-2008-lewis-bounces-ta-bac, (Accessed 25/02/2020) The race would see Lewis Hamilton battle to victory in a race of mixed conditions, surviving two punctures to claim his maiden Monaco win.
Qualifying had seen the two s put an updated suspension system to good use, with Felipe Massa claiming pole position ahead of Championship leading teammate Kimi Räikkönen. Hamilton would start from third alongside his teammate Heikki Kovalainen, while Robert Kubica shared the third row with Nico Rosberg.
Race day dawned with showers drifting across the Principality, meaning that the circuit was partially damp by the time the field gathered on the grid. A late shower then caused the entire field to make a late switch to intermediate Bridgestone tyres, resulting in Räikkönen getting a penalty for his mechanics working on his car beyond the two minute warning. Kovalainen then stalled on the formation lap and was forced to start from the pitlane.
The start itself saw Massa calmly pull into the lead, while a poor start for Räikkönen allowed Hamilton to dive past the #1 Ferrari to secure second. Behind, Kubica secured fourth while Fernando Alonso slithered past Rosberg for fifth, with the rest of the field making it through Sainte Devote without issue.
Indeed, it was only when the field arrived at Lowes for the first time that there was any major contact, with Rosberg removing his front wing on the back of Kubica having lunged past Alonso. The was then seen limping back to the pits, as Massa established a small lead over Hamilton as the rain intensified.
Hamilton would opt against attacking Massa for the lead as the conditions worsened, although that ploy appeared to have back-fired when he clipped the barriers at Tabac on lap six and punctured his right-rear. He duly limped back to the pits for a fresh set of intermediates and a heavy fuel load, rejoining in fifth just in time to see Alonso have an identical accident at Massenet.
Two laps later and the race was brought under Safety Car control, as David Coulthard and Sébastien Bourdais clashed at Massenet. This eliminated Massa's twelve second lead over Kubica, although the Brazilian racer was quick to begin rebuilding it when the race resumed three laps later. Räikkönen had already stopped to serve his penalty, dropping to fourth ahead of Hamilton.
Kubica inherited the lead soon after, Massa making his first mistake of the weekend and slid down the escape road at Sainte Devote. Massa then retook the lead when Kubica made his stop on lap 26, and remained ahead of the Polish racer on lap 33 when he made his own stop, leaving Hamilton in the lead.
Hamilton's long second stint proved crucial to the outcome of the race, for by the time he made his stop on lap 54 the conditions had improved enough to use slick tyres. The Brit emerged with a secure lead over Massa, Kubica having also stopped for slicks, with the Brazilian's stop two laps later for slicks dumping him back behind the .
With that the race order seemed to have been settled, until a heavy accident for Rosberg and Piscine on lap 62 brought the Safety Car out once again. Six laps later the race would resume with Hamilton sprinting clear of Kubica, while Räikkönen took out fourth placed Adrian Sutil after making a mess of his braking for Nouvelle Chicane.
That, ultimately, proved to be the last major incident of the race, with Hamilton gratefully taking the chequered flag on lap 76, the race having reached the two hour time limit just as the McLaren picked up a second puncture. Kubica and Massa completed the podium ahead of Mark Webber, while Sebastian Vettel secured his first points of the season in the new . Rubens Barrichello, Kazuki Nakajima and Kovalainen completed the scorers list, with Räikkönen recovering to ninth with fastest lap.
==Background==
Kimi Räikkönen continued to lead the Championship hunt leaving the Turkish Grand Prix, although his advantage had been reduced by those chasing his 35 point tally. Indeed, race winner Felipe Massa had closed to within seven points of his teammate, and moved ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who matched the Brazilian's 28 point haul, but was behind courtesy of one win to Massa's two. Behind, Robert Kubica had slipped four points behind those two in fourth, while Nick Heidfeld had maintained his top five status.
In the Constructors Championship had managed to extend their lead at the head of the hunt, having moved onto 63 points courtesy of another double-podium in Turkey. had likewise secured a good points haul in Istanbul even if they had lost ground to Ferrari, and hence had remained two points ahead of . Behind, and were both embarrassing their engine suppliers as they completed the top five, while the withdrawal of had left as the only pointless team.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
3 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
4 	Robert Kubica 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
5 	Fernando Alonso 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
7 	Nico Rosberg 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
9 	David Coulthard 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
10 	Mark Webber 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
11 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
12 	Timo Glock 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR3 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
15 	Sebastian Vettel 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR3 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
16 	Jenson Button 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
17 	Rubens Barrichello 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
20 	Adrian Sutil 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
22 	Lewis Hamilton 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
Source:'Monaco 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'Monaco 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'Monaco 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'Monaco 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'Monaco 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'Monaco 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'Monaco 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'Monaco 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/engages.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
===Q2===
===Q3===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	Grid
1 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	1 	1:15.190 	 	1 	1:15.110 	 	1 	1:15.787 	1
2 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	4 	1:15.717 	 	5 	1:15.404 	 	2 	1:15.815 	2
3 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	3 	1:15.582 	 	3 	1:15.322 	 	3 	1:15.839 	3
4 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	 	2 	1:15.295 	 	4 	1:15.389 	 	4 	1:16.165 	4
5 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	6 	1:15.977 	 	6 	1:15.483 	 	5 	1:16.171 	5
6 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	5 	1:15.935 	 	2 	1:15.287 	 	6 	1:16.548 	6
7 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	13 	1:16.646 	 	9 	1:15.827 	 	7 	1:16.852 	7
8 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	12 	1:16.306 	 	7 	1:15.598 	 	8 	1:17.203 	8
9 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	 	7 	1:16.074 	 	8 	1:15.745 	 	9 	1:17.343 	9
10* 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	 	8 	1:16.086 	 	10 	1:15.839 	 	NC 	— 	15
11 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	 	11 	1:16.285 	 	11 	1:15.907 	 	 	 	10
12 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	 	10 	1:16.259 	 	12 	1:16.101 	 	 	 	11
13 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	14 	1:16.650 	 	13 	1:16.455 	 	 	 	12
14 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	 	15 	1:16.756 	 	14 	1:16.479 	 	 	 	13
15 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	9 	1:16.208 	 	15 	1:16.537 	 	 	 	14
16 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	 	16 	1:16.806 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
17 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	 	17 	1:16.933 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18* 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	18 	1:16.955 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
19 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	 	19 	1:17.225 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
20* 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	20 	1:17.823 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/830/monaco/qualifying.html, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/830/monaco/qualifying.html, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/830/monaco/qualifying.html, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/830/monaco/qualifying.html, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/830/monaco/qualifying.html, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/830/monaco/qualifying.html, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/830/monaco/qualifying.html, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/830/monaco/qualifying.html, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/830/monaco/qualifying.html, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/830/monaco/qualifying.html, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/830/monaco/qualifying.html, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/830/monaco/qualifying.html, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/830/monaco/qualifying.html, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2008 - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/830/monaco/qualifying.html, (Accessed 25/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
** Coulthard, Vettel and Fisichella received five place grid penalties for changing their gearboxes..
===Grid===
** Kovalainen started the race from the pitlane after stalling on the formation lap.
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	76 	2:00:42.742 	3 	10
2 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	76 	+3.064s 	5 	8
3 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	76 	+4.811s 	1 	6
4 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	76 	+19.295s 	9 	5
5 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	76 	+24.657s 	19 	4
6 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	76 	+28.408s 	14 	3
7 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	76 	+30.180s 	13 	2
8 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	76 	+33.191s 	4 	1
9 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	76 	+33.792s 	2 	
10 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	75 	+1 Lap 	7 	
11 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	75 	+1 Lap 	11 	
12 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	75 	+1 Lap 	10 	
13 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	75 	+1 Lap 	8 	
14 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	72 	+4 Laps 	12 	
Ret 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	67 	Damage 	18 	
Ret 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	59 	Accident 	6 	
Ret 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	47 	Accident 	17 	
Ret 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	36 	Gearbox 	20 	
Ret 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	7 	Accident 	15 	
Ret 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	7 	Collision 	16 	
Source:'Monaco 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'Monaco 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'Monaco 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'Monaco 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'Monaco 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'Monaco 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'Monaco 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)	Source:'Monaco 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/monaco/classement.aspx, (Accessed 25/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones==
* 200th Grand Prix start for Giancarlo Fisichella.
* Sixth career victory for Lewis Hamilton.
** Hamilton became the first English born driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix since Graham Hill in 1969.
* 158th win for as a constructor.
** secured their 63rd win as an engine supplier.
==Standings==
Victory, combined with a non-score for Kimi Räikkönen, meant that Lewis Hamilton left Monte Carlo with the Championship lead, holding 38 points and a three point advantage. Räikkönen slipped to second after finishing ninth in Monaco, while Felipe Massa had moved to within a point of his teammate in third. Robert Kubica was just two further back in fourth, before a twelve point gap split the Pole from his teammate Nick Heidfeld.
In the Constructors Championship continued to lead the charge, leaving Monaco with 69 points to their credit. had moved into second courtesy of Hamilton's second win, moving a point ahead of as they tried to kick-start their season once again. and were next, level on fifteen points, while had once again failed to score.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Lewis Hamilton 	38 	2
2 	Kimi Räikkönen 	35 	1
3 	Felipe Massa 	34 	1
4 	Robert Kubica 	32 	
5 	Nick Heidfeld 	20 	
6 	Heikki Kovalainen 	15 	
7 	Mark Webber 	15 	
8 	Jarno Trulli 	9 	
9 	Fernando Alonso 	9 	
10 	Nico Rosberg 	8 	
11 	Kazuki Nakajima 	7 	
12 	Sebastian Vettel 	4 	10
13 	Jenson Button 	3 	1
14 	Rubens Barrichello 	3 	2
15 	Sébastien Bourdais 	2 	2
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	69 	
2 	 	53 	1
3 	 	52 	1
4 	 	15 	
5 	 	15 	
6 	 	9 	
7 	 	9 	
8 	 	6 	1
9 	 	6 	1
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==See Also==
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2008 Grands Prix
Category:Monaco Grand Prix