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Monaco, Monte Carlo - Australian Mark Webber won the showcase Monaco 2012 Formula 1 GP for 2011 champion team Red Bull on Sunday as Formula One celebrated an unprecedented six different winners in six races so far this season.
Germany's Nico Rosberg was second, 0.6sec behind Webber, while Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was third and a further 0.3sec back to go three points clear at the top of the overall championship standings.
Webber led a nail-bitingly close race, with the top three separated by less than a second at the finish, from pole position to chequered flag as a threatened deluge held off despite darkening skies and occasional drizzle.
FIRST WIN SINCE '11
It then chucked it down once Webber had accepted the trophy from Prince Albert, sprayed the champagne and hugged Red Bull designer Adrian Newey.
It was Webber's first win since Brazil at the end of 2011, the eighth of his career and Red Bull's third in a row - each from pole - around the treacherous metal-fenced streets and crowded harbourside of the millionaires' playground.
There remained a question mark over the result, however, with talk sweeping the paddock ahead of the race of a possible protest by rival teams questioning the legality of his Red Bull's floor.
Red Bull rejected that and Webber, winner in Monaco in 2010, was ready to party. He stood on his car and punched the air in triumph.
"It's an amazing day for the team, myself and really happy to have won here again," said the winner, who told reporters he did not accept victory was in the bag until the very last corner of the last lap.
"It's Monaco. You never get ahead of yourself here because you get bitten in the arse.”
FLAWLESS DRIVE
The top five were split by just 4.1sec, running nose-to-tail through the hairpin, with Webber's team mate and double World champion Sebastian Vettel fourth ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.
Alonso has 76 points with Vettel and Webber each on 73.
A real downpour would have shaken up proceedings in the Mediterranean principality and without it there was precious little overtaking or incident with 15 of the 24 starters finishing what was for most a one-stop race.
"We've had a great three years here. Mark drove flawlessly. The weather was a real concern, but he did a great job to do what he needed to do," said Newey, whose team are the first to win two races this year.
Vettel, 2011 winner, had moved up from ninth place at the start by completing 46 laps on his first set of tyres.
Hamilton dropped from third on the grid to finish fifth, losing his two places in the pits thanks to a stop that was six-tenths of a second slower than those of Vettel and Alonso.
"The target was to try to finish in front of Sebastian and Lewis as they are with us in the championship," said Alonso. "We took Hamilton at the stop with a perfect time and a perfect stop again, so well done to the team."
GROSJEAN BIG LOSER
Ferrari's Felipe Massa finished sixth, a big relief for the under-pressure Brazilian who had scored just two points from the first five races.
Britain's Paul di Resta and Force India team mate Nico Hulkenberg were seventh and eighth respectively with Kimi Raikkonen ninth for Lotus and Bruno Senna taking the final point for Williams.
In the Constructors' standings, Red Bull has 146 points to McLaren's 108.
Frenchman Romain Grosjean was the big loser at the start, lining up in fourth place for Lotus but crashing out in the first corner with a broken suspension after tangling with the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher.
That incident brought out the safety car for two laps.
Schumacher, who had set the fastest time in Saturday's qualifying but was denied a first pole since 2006 due to a five-place grid penalty carried over from Spain, retired in the pits after 64 laps.
Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, heroic winner of the previous race in Spain, also crashed out on the opening lap after starting in last place for Williams thanks to two separate penalties.
Provisional result of the 2012 Formula 1 Monaco GP in Monte Carlo
1 Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull 1hr46min06.557
2 Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes +0.643
3 Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari +0.947
4 Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull +1.343
5 Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren +4.101
6 Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari +6.195
7 Paul Di Resta (Britain) Force India +41.537
8 Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) Force India +42.562
9 Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Lotus +44.036
10 Bruno Senna (Brazil) Williams +44.516
11 Sergio Perez (Mexico) Sauber +1 lap
12 Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Toro Rosso +1 lap
13 Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) Caterham +1 lap
14 Timo Glock (Germany) Marussia +1 lap
15 Narain Karthikeyan (India) HRT +2 laps
16 r. Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren +8 laps
Retired
Charles Pic (France) Marussia +14 laps
Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Toro Rosso +13 laps
Michael Schumacher (Germany) Mercedes +15 laps
Vitaly Petrov (Russia) Caterham +63 laps
Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) Sauber +73 laps
r. Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) HRT +76 laps
Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Williams +77 laps
Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus +78 laps
Fastest lap: Sergio Perez,1min17.296, lap 49
Provisional F1 Drivers’ and Constructors' points standings after the 2012 Monaco GP
Drivers
1 Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari 76
2 Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull 73
3 Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull 73
4 Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 63
5 Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes GP 59
6 Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Renault 51
7 Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 45
8 Romain Grosjean (France) Renault 35
9 Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Williams 29
10 Sergio Perez (Mexico) Sauber 22
11 Paul Di Resta (Britain) Force India 21
12 Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) Sauber 19
13 Bruno Senna (Brazil) Williams 15
14 Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 10
15 Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) Force India 7
16 Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Toro Rosso 4
17 Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Toro Rosso 2
18 Michael Schumacher (Germany) Mercedes GP 2
19 Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) Team Lotus 0
20 Timo Glock (Germany) Marussia 0
21 Charles Pic (France) Marussia 0
22 Narain Karthikeyan (India) HRT 0
23 Vitaly Petrov (Russia) Team Lotus 0
24 Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) HRT 0
Constructors
1 Red Bull 146
2 Laren 108
3 Ferrari 86
4 Lotus 86
5 Mercedes 61
6 Williams 44
7 Sauber 41
8 Force India 28
9 Toro Rosso 6
10 Marussia 0
11 Caterham 0
12 HRT 0
Germany's Nico Rosberg was second, 0.6sec behind Webber, while Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was third and a further 0.3sec back to go three points clear at the top of the overall championship standings.
Webber led a nail-bitingly close race, with the top three separated by less than a second at the finish, from pole position to chequered flag as a threatened deluge held off despite darkening skies and occasional drizzle.
FIRST WIN SINCE '11
It then chucked it down once Webber had accepted the trophy from Prince Albert, sprayed the champagne and hugged Red Bull designer Adrian Newey.
It was Webber's first win since Brazil at the end of 2011, the eighth of his career and Red Bull's third in a row - each from pole - around the treacherous metal-fenced streets and crowded harbourside of the millionaires' playground.
There remained a question mark over the result, however, with talk sweeping the paddock ahead of the race of a possible protest by rival teams questioning the legality of his Red Bull's floor.
Red Bull rejected that and Webber, winner in Monaco in 2010, was ready to party. He stood on his car and punched the air in triumph.
"It's an amazing day for the team, myself and really happy to have won here again," said the winner, who told reporters he did not accept victory was in the bag until the very last corner of the last lap.
"It's Monaco. You never get ahead of yourself here because you get bitten in the arse.”
FLAWLESS DRIVE
The top five were split by just 4.1sec, running nose-to-tail through the hairpin, with Webber's team mate and double World champion Sebastian Vettel fourth ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.
Alonso has 76 points with Vettel and Webber each on 73.
A real downpour would have shaken up proceedings in the Mediterranean principality and without it there was precious little overtaking or incident with 15 of the 24 starters finishing what was for most a one-stop race.
"We've had a great three years here. Mark drove flawlessly. The weather was a real concern, but he did a great job to do what he needed to do," said Newey, whose team are the first to win two races this year.
Vettel, 2011 winner, had moved up from ninth place at the start by completing 46 laps on his first set of tyres.
Hamilton dropped from third on the grid to finish fifth, losing his two places in the pits thanks to a stop that was six-tenths of a second slower than those of Vettel and Alonso.
"The target was to try to finish in front of Sebastian and Lewis as they are with us in the championship," said Alonso. "We took Hamilton at the stop with a perfect time and a perfect stop again, so well done to the team."
GROSJEAN BIG LOSER
Ferrari's Felipe Massa finished sixth, a big relief for the under-pressure Brazilian who had scored just two points from the first five races.
Britain's Paul di Resta and Force India team mate Nico Hulkenberg were seventh and eighth respectively with Kimi Raikkonen ninth for Lotus and Bruno Senna taking the final point for Williams.
In the Constructors' standings, Red Bull has 146 points to McLaren's 108.
Frenchman Romain Grosjean was the big loser at the start, lining up in fourth place for Lotus but crashing out in the first corner with a broken suspension after tangling with the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher.
That incident brought out the safety car for two laps.
Schumacher, who had set the fastest time in Saturday's qualifying but was denied a first pole since 2006 due to a five-place grid penalty carried over from Spain, retired in the pits after 64 laps.
Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, heroic winner of the previous race in Spain, also crashed out on the opening lap after starting in last place for Williams thanks to two separate penalties.
Provisional result of the 2012 Formula 1 Monaco GP in Monte Carlo
1 Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull 1hr46min06.557
2 Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes +0.643
3 Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari +0.947
4 Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull +1.343
5 Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren +4.101
6 Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari +6.195
7 Paul Di Resta (Britain) Force India +41.537
8 Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) Force India +42.562
9 Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Lotus +44.036
10 Bruno Senna (Brazil) Williams +44.516
11 Sergio Perez (Mexico) Sauber +1 lap
12 Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Toro Rosso +1 lap
13 Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) Caterham +1 lap
14 Timo Glock (Germany) Marussia +1 lap
15 Narain Karthikeyan (India) HRT +2 laps
16 r. Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren +8 laps
Retired
Charles Pic (France) Marussia +14 laps
Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Toro Rosso +13 laps
Michael Schumacher (Germany) Mercedes +15 laps
Vitaly Petrov (Russia) Caterham +63 laps
Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) Sauber +73 laps
r. Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) HRT +76 laps
Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Williams +77 laps
Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus +78 laps
Fastest lap: Sergio Perez,1min17.296, lap 49
Provisional F1 Drivers’ and Constructors' points standings after the 2012 Monaco GP
Drivers
1 Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari 76
2 Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull 73
3 Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull 73
4 Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 63
5 Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes GP 59
6 Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Renault 51
7 Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 45
8 Romain Grosjean (France) Renault 35
9 Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Williams 29
10 Sergio Perez (Mexico) Sauber 22
11 Paul Di Resta (Britain) Force India 21
12 Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) Sauber 19
13 Bruno Senna (Brazil) Williams 15
14 Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 10
15 Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) Force India 7
16 Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Toro Rosso 4
17 Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Toro Rosso 2
18 Michael Schumacher (Germany) Mercedes GP 2
19 Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) Team Lotus 0
20 Timo Glock (Germany) Marussia 0
21 Charles Pic (France) Marussia 0
22 Narain Karthikeyan (India) HRT 0
23 Vitaly Petrov (Russia) Team Lotus 0
24 Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) HRT 0
Constructors
1 Red Bull 146
2 Laren 108
3 Ferrari 86
4 Lotus 86
5 Mercedes 61
6 Williams 44
7 Sauber 41
8 Force India 28
9 Toro Rosso 6
10 Marussia 0
11 Caterham 0
12 HRT 0