Alonso spearheads 1,2,3,4
Fernando Alonso (Renault/Michelin) dominated today's Monaco Grand Prix - and immediately dedicated his success to the memory of Edouard Michelin, who died on Friday. Alonso headed a clean sweep of the top four positions by different Michelin teams, beating Juan Pablo Montoya (McLaren Mercedes), David Coulthard (who recorded Red Bull Racing's first podium finish) and Rubens Barrichello (Honda). After the race, the top three declined to spray champagne on the podium as a mark of respect to Edouard Michelin.
Nick Shorrock, Michelin Formula One director "This has been a very emotional event for everyone at Michelin. We have been very touched by the Formula One community's thoughtfulness throughout the weekend and we appreciated the top three drivers' comments and gestures immediately after the race.
"In technical and sporting terms, this has been a fantastic result. Fernando Alonso drove with great control and our tyres performed exactly as we expected them to, despite a wide range of strategies - David Coulthard ran his second set for 49 laps, for instance.
"The result strengthens Renault's position at the head of both world championships and takes us another step closer to completing our grand prix century, which is now just two victories away."
Flavio Briatore, managing director, Renault F1 Team "As Fernando said, we really want to dedicate this victory to t he memory of Edouard Michelin. It was a terrible shock when we heard the news on Friday. Winning the championship last year was a very large part down to Michelin and this year they have again provided great tyres. This is one of the reasons we won here and are leading the championship."
Pat Symonds, executive engineering director, Renault F1 Team "After a lot of testing for Monaco, we still felt there was more to come from the tyres before we arrived here this weekend. Michelin reacted superbly before the event to make a new compound especially for Monaco, which as we can see now, suited the circuit perfectly. Michelin found the perfect balance between first lap performance and consistency during the race and the performance of our cars this afternoon was once again testament to the quality of their tyres. Of course, it was also special for us to win on a very sad weekend for Michelin."
