Jenson Button completes a hat-trick of wins with his triumph in the Monaco Grand Prix – the first time this has been done in three years.
It was the second-fastest Monaco Grand Prix of all time and te first time a driver has won three consecutive races with the same engine.
Here’s more facts and stats from the Monaco Grand Prix.
Jenson Button continues to pile on the victories – he’s now racked up six, giving him as many as Tony Brooks, John Surtees, Jochen Rindt, Gilles Villeneuve, Jacques Laffite, Riccardo Patrese and Button’s 2000 team mate Ralf Schumacher.
He’s won five of the first six races this year, giving him one of the best ever starts to a championship campaign. Much more on that here: Button closes on ‘best start’ record
He also matched Jacques Laffite’s pole position tally of seven.
Button became the first British driver to win three consecutive races since Damon Hill, when he won four in a row from 1995 to 1996. Those were in Australia (twice), Brazil and Argentina.
It is the first time any driver has scored a hat-trick since Michael Schumacher won the American, French and German Grands Prix in 2006.
Fastest lap went to Felipe Massa, the first for Ferrari in 2009. It was Massa’s 12th, giving him as many as Alberto Ascari, Jack Brabham, Ren?�?� Arnoux and Juan Pablo Montoya.
Brawn now have 86 points, more than twice as many as any other team. They scored their third one-two, meaning they now have more than Renault.
Mark Webber passed Jack Brabham as the Australian driver to have started the most races, reaching 127. More on how their careers compare here: Spanish Grand Prix facts and stats
BMW posted their worst ever qualifying performance with 16th and 17th. There previous worst was when Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve lined up tenth and 22nd respectively for the Spanish Grand Prix in 2006.
Lewis Hamilton started from his lowest ever grid position: 19th.
Mercedes had the same V8 engine win three races in a row. It was also the third consecutive win for a Mercedes-engined car in Monte-Carlo.
With no safety car interruptions, this was the second shortest Monaco Grand Prix that reached full distance, and the third shortest of all time:
Shortest Monaco Grands Prix
1. 1984 Monaco Grand Prix – Alain Prost, McLaren-TAG in 1hr 1’07.740 (Stopped after 31 of 77 laps)
2. 2007 Monaco Grand Prix – Fernando Alonso, McLaren-Mercedes in 1hr 40’29.329 (78 laps)
3. 2009 Monaco Grand Prix – Jenson Button, Brawn-Mercedes in 1hr 40’44.282 (78 laps)
Only the 2007 race was completed at a higher average speed – 155.551kph (96.65mph) compared to 155.166kph this year (96.41mph).
Spotted any other interesting statistics and facts form the Monaco Grand Prix? Post them below…
fminas
25th May 2009, 19:05
It’s the sixth consecutive Grand Prix that Jenson Button leads for at least one lap.
Kevanfolan
25th May 2009, 19:16
Heidfeld finished again lengthening his finishing streak to 26 and classified finishes of 34.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
25th May 2009, 22:52
I’m so bored of that statistic now!
Fer no.65
26th May 2009, 0:03
is that why you write “Spotted any other interesting statistics and facts form the Monaco Grand Prix? Post them below…”???? :P
Ronman
26th May 2009, 8:04
TF1 reporters during the race were saying something about total number of laps completed! i think that’s a bit too much… although the stats are fun to read, and show a great dedication to the history of F1
Kevanfolan
25th May 2009, 19:37
Brawn GP equal Honda F1s points from their best season in 2006 with 86 points.
Sumedh
26th May 2009, 11:54
nice spot, can’t believe Keith missed this.
Lustigson
25th May 2009, 19:51
With Ferrari’s season finally having taken off, with a 3rd and a 4th at Monaco, 2009 is now no longer it’s worst season start yet. Up until last race, the Scuderia only had two 6th places from the first 5 Grands Prix to account for, which was worse than 1980 (with a 5th and a 6th) and 1981 (with a 5th and a 4th).
With yesterday’s result, 1980 is now once again the worst start to an F1 season for Ferrari, when Scheckter and Villeneuve only added another 5th, while Villeneuve and Pironi took a win and a 4th in 1981’s sixth GP.
Rod
25th May 2009, 19:56
Have Force India had both cars in Q2 before? As far as I’m aware, that was their best qualifying since taking over from Spyker.
IDR
25th May 2009, 20:49
That was just after F Alonso won the previous four races in a row: Spain, Monaco, Great Britain and Canada.
Eduardo Gigante
25th May 2009, 21:15
With his podium finish, Rubens Barrichello passed Alonso and is now fourth in the all time points table, with 565 points. He is the highest ranked driver to have not won a championship and has a chance of passing his idol Ayrton Senna for third, should he wins fifty more points this year or the next.
Oliver
25th May 2009, 22:44
I think an English man has also won consecutive races at Monaco, driving the number 22 car powered by a Mercedes engine.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
25th May 2009, 22:51
I’m guessing we’ll have a few of those before the year is out…
Dirk Gently
26th May 2009, 0:55
Stefano Domenicali has officially entered the ‘for sure’ contest!
Journeyer
26th May 2009, 1:59
Just one worse than his previous worst: 18th at Melbourne.
2009 has been Lewis’ annus horribilis so far. The worst year of his entire career, not just F1.
Net.Sticks
26th May 2009, 5:30
Really ?!
What about the “great” Felipe Massa ou the former World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen!?
Are then runing fine ?! This is Monaco – next track Ferrari will go to fight to enter P2 again. At least McLaren has improoved. Ferrari’s improovment was only shown in Monaco and there’s only one track like this one once a Season. Let’s see who is having a worst year…
For me, I think they should simply already give the title to Button and move onte to Formula ‘Mosley’ FIA next year without the main teams.
The last FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONS was in 2008, Lewis Hamilton in a McLaren Mercedes. This year already tricka and turn with rules pushed top teams to back and next year will pushed them OUT of F1. So, no bother, it’s over.
zplol
26th May 2009, 6:23
http://www.shodor.org/~isinclair/special
PJA
26th May 2009, 15:32
Although Hamilton didn’t qualify high up at Melbourne or Monaco, his starting position was made worse at both because of a gear box change. Did he have a specific gear box problem at Monaco or did they change it because he was starting so far back anyway?
Tom
26th May 2009, 4:02
I would think that it’s probably one of the most experienced top 5. Button, Barricello, Raikkonen, Massa and Webber would have quite a solid number of races under their belts.
Hugo Bourgeois
26th May 2009, 9:04
It’s the third consecutive race I couldn’t follow on TV because I was playing tennis :(
Charlie
26th May 2009, 17:02
Erm, don’t play tennis.
Mandan
26th May 2009, 11:51
Don’t be so sad, Hugo. Did you win your first round game in Roland Garros ? ;-)
Serg Tree
26th May 2009, 12:09
Kimi would have won this race because he is the best racer in the world.
i dont think that jenson button is a good racer at all.
:)
:P
:D
:(
:'(
Serg Tree
26th May 2009, 12:10
i concur
ajokay
26th May 2009, 12:25
Eh?
Sush Meerkat
26th May 2009, 19:07
Serg Tree, this website isn’t anonymous, if you concur with yourself, we know about it.
matt
2nd June 2009, 14:57
haha
todd
26th May 2009, 12:18
can someone get an interview with the head people over at honda who made the decision to cut the F1 team? I’d really like to know their thoughts at the moment…
Sush Meerkat
26th May 2009, 19:09
I agree!
Bigbadderboom
26th May 2009, 22:42
LOL
HounslowBusGarage
26th May 2009, 20:16
Mega trivia.
Could this be the first race where the top five finishers all have double letters in their surnames?
Button, Barrichello, Raikkonen, Massa, Webber.
Yoo’re right. I need to get out more.
Chua
27th May 2009, 5:09
Not inconceivable that we’ll see a top six with all double letters, when Vettel and Trulli get up there. Strange, they’re almost all teammates.
Sumedh
27th May 2009, 5:40
we will have all the point scoring 8 with double letter in their surnames when,
Red Bulls, Ferraris, Brawns, Trulli and Fisichella finish in points in the same race.
Gheen
27th May 2009, 1:35
What’s a hat-trick?
sulzerpower
27th May 2009, 2:44
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hat-trick
manatcna
27th May 2009, 2:35
Google it
Shayne
27th May 2009, 6:50
Brawn is the only team to have both cars finish all 6 races
Chalky
2nd June 2009, 12:36
You can extend that one too…
Brawn equal BRM in 1965 to have both cars finish in the points in the first 6 races of a season.
If anyone wants to crawl through more records to see if any other team managed it.
CD
28th May 2009, 5:49
it’s beginning to look like Schumacher-Ferrari era for the second time. same old winner, same old car. So boooooooring!!! Teams like Toyota, Ferrari and RBR should spice up the championship. C’mon guys!!! give us a good show!