Lewis Hamilton Wins 2008 Monaco Grand Prix

Britain's Lewis Hamilton started this year's Monaco Grand Prix in third position on the grid, behind the two Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, and knew it would take a top guide to get between them, let alone win.

But after last year's Monaco F1, when Lewis finished second when he could own won, extinction it seems was going to stop him - and in the process proceeds the lead in the drivers championship too.

Unusually for Monaco the weather proved challenging, and precipitate for 20 minutes before and the first ten laps of the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix proved to be a absolute challenge for every driver on the circuit, and it was lap 20 before the sun indeed came out and the track dried.

With no traction direction this year, the Monaco F1 was even added of a race of driving skill over car performance, and the Ferrari one-two earned in qualifying disappeared immediately from the start as Lewis Hamilton overtook current Sphere Prizewinner Kimi Raikkonen to slip into second place.

The unusually slow rapidity for the antecedent ten laps all the more took its toll, with Monaco resident Jensen Button losing a front wing, and companion Monaco local David Coulthard crashing absent shortly after, and Lewis Hamilton crashed into a barrier with a rear tyre puncture on the sixth lap at Tabac Corner nevertheless recovered after a coalmine stop.

De facto it could have been the pit stop that helped Lewis to victory, as the McLaren team re-fuelled the car, enabling Lewis Hamilton to carry on with aloof one more crater stop necessary to the finish.

Other points of note for chauffeur performance were the disappointing drives of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen (involved in no less than four incidents) and Felipe Massa, while on the positive BMW's Robert Kubica had an excellent Monaco Grand Prix to come second, picking up his trophy from Princess Caroline, and Force India's Adrian Sutil who would corner come fifth and picked up World Championship points on the contrary for Kimi Raikkonen crashing into him equal before the final laps.

Hamilton had built up an impressive 30 second plus lead before his ending quarry stop, allowing him to re-join the race comfortably leading, but the safety car was called out for the second time in the race, leaving Hamilton's vanguard in shreds.

Of all the Grand Prix, Monaco is the most testing for drivers by far around the streets of Monte Carlo and the best confessed Monte Carlo hotel the Hotel de Paris, but Hamilton kept a cool mind to win, with Prince Albert presenting Lewis with the winners' trophy.

Lewis called in on his radio to the McLaren team on his victory lap that they would brannigan tonight - and with the Pussycats Doll Nicole Scherzinger Lewis' visitor for the weekend, it should be a party Monaco will remember!

The final positions for the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix are:

1 Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes two hours 0 minutes 42.742 seconds
2 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 3.064 secs behind
3 Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari +4.811secs
4 Mark Webber (Aus) Cerise Bull-Renault +19.295
5 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Toro Rosso-Ferrari +24.657
6 Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda +28.408
7 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams-Toyota +30.180
8 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes +33.191
9 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari +33.792
10 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault one compass behind
11 Jenson Button (GB) Honda one lap
12 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota one lap
13 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota one lap
14 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber four laps
R Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Ferrari 67 laps completed
16 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Toyota 59 laps
17 Nelson Piquet Jr (Brz) Renault 47 laps
18 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Exaction India-Ferrari 36 laps
19 David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Renault seven laps
20 Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari seven laps

The 2009 Monaco Grand Prix is Sunday 24 May.
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For details of next year's Monaco F1 stopover YourMonaco.com

They also have hotels in Cultured France earful for those considering visiting next year.

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