After 20 years without a win in Monaco, Williams was confirmed in 2003 together with star driver Juan Pablo Montoya, who finally returned to the top step of the podium with a sensational and cool drive after more than 20 races without a win.
What better way to cast out your demons than taking your first win in more than 20 months on a circuit your team hasn’t won in 20 years? Both Williams and Juan Pablo Montoya – as the Colombian himself put it – needed a win to erase memories of missed opportunities and poor performances and for his team.
For both of them, the victory was a justification at a time when they are increasingly coming under criticism from the media and even from their own engine supplier.
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“Everyone needed that,” said Montoya, relieved after only clinching his second F1 victory. “It has to be said that I’ve had a few races where I had a chance to win. The last one was Melbourne, I threw it away so the pressure was pretty big not to make any mistakes.”
Juan Pablo Montoya crosses the checkered flag
Photo by: Sutton Images
Montoya’s victory was all the nicer for him as he not only ended a long wait that seemed to never end, but also because the victory showed another side of the Colombian’s driving skills. On the streets of the Mediterranean Principality, Montoya also showed that he could keep a cool head even under immense pressure, at the same time he stayed away from the barriers and took care of his sick car, which had developed an engine failure, up to the checkered flag.
After his seven pole positions in 2002, after a sure win in Melbourne and after retiring from the lead in Austria when his car let him down, Montoya’s second Formula 1 win of his career was long overdue and he erased the bitter-sweet taste from his first win at the Italian GP, which came just five days after the 9/11 attacks.
The moment was especially sweet for Williams too, not only because he was finishing his 20-year-old Monaco Jinx, but also because he was finally getting a reward for all the hard work since the start of the season to fix all of the FW25’s problems.
Press conference: Race winner Juan Pablo Montoya with Kimi Räikkönen and Michael Schumacher
Photo by: BMW AG
After Williams lost touch with Ferrari and McLaren on points and the pressure from Renault increased from race to race, Williams needed to show that he still knew how to win and there was probably no better place to do it than in Monte Carlo. Of course, the historic race on the principality’s narrow streets often shows misleading signs and a deceptive picture, and it is evident that Williams still has a long way to go to get back into the championship battle.
The rise to the top of the overall standings will not be easy for Williams, however, and that was clear after the race, in which the top three were less than two seconds behind. McLaren and Kimi Raikkonen emerged from the title fight as winners of the Monaco Grand Prix, with the Finn again delivering a solid performance and further proof that he is a true challenger for this year’s title after almost half of the season.
Raikkonen did nothing wrong in the race and only Montoya’s flawless performance kept him from winning. The Finn’s pace showed that McLaren will likely have enough time to work on his new car to make it as reliable as this year’s championship – with its new points system – requires. If McLaren doesn’t start losing the ball in terms of reliability, the battle between Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher seems to go to the end.
Kimi Raikkonen
Photo by: DaimlerChrysler
Considering that Schumacher was over 30 points ahead of the overall standings around this time says a lot about how things have changed for the world champion and his Ferrari team. In Monaco and after three straight wins from pole position, Schumacher and Ferrari were dramatically humiliated and the German never looked like a real contender.
In fact, Ferrari looked completely normal, with Schumacher’s highlight being his best time in qualifying on Thursday. After that, the five-time Monaco GP winner fought for the pace, adding to the problems Ferrari had with its Bridgestone tires and a strategy that had been proven wrong, Schumacher trailing four points in the championship and with the Impression that Ferrari will have to work really hard in the coming weeks to beat the improving competition.
Ralf Schumacher
Photo by: BMW AG
The rest of the field, including the teammates of the top three, never looked like real competitors. The race was particularly disappointing for Ralf Schumacher, who retired after a great pole position in distant fourth place. The performance of David Coulthard and Rubens Barrichello was also disappointing, with the Scot being overshadowed by Raikkonen all weekend and the Brazilian languishing for eighth place, more than 50 seconds behind the leaders.
Barrichello’s misery was Fernando Alonso’s win as the talented Spaniard put on another solid performance that helped him move back to third in the championship standings. However, his Renault team did not live up to the expectations raised before the Grand Prix and although many predicted the French team would fight for victory, their pace was far from the top three teams.
Jenson Button, BAR Honda 005
Photo by: Motorsport Images
As for the rest of the field, only BAR – namely Jenson Button – looked like contenders for points, especially after the third fastest time in first qualifying. However, the young Brit suffered a massive fall in training that forced him to skip the race. Fortunately, he wasn’t seriously injured.
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