After achieving pole position on Saturday, Jenson led the race from the front to secure his fifth win of the 2009 Formula One season with team-mate Rubens Barrichello taking second place for the team’s third one-two finish of the year.
Rubens made an excellent start from third on the grid to take second place from Kimi Raikkonen before the first corner. "I had a really good start on the option tyre and was able to get ahead of Kimi before the first corner which put me in a great position to challenge Jenson" said Rubens.
Both starting on the softer option tyre, Jenson and Rubens drove composed two-stop strategies, using the prime tyre for their second and third stints. "Rubens had a great start to get ahead of Raikkonen and was showing excellent pace before his first set of rear tyres began to grain heavily as a result of following Jenson so closely" confirmed Ross Brawn regarding the first stint of the race.
Rubens put up a strong fight to hold off the Ferrari of Raikkonen and maintain his second position whilst Jenson took the chequered flag at the end of the 78-lap race for his first victory around the streets of Monte Carlo, a dream come true for the British driver. "Wow! Winning the Monaco Grand Prix is something that you dream about as a child and as a racing driver and the reality of taking that victory just feels awesome. With Rubens taking a superb second place, a one-two finish for the Brawn-Mercedes team in Monaco is fantastic. The race felt like it went on forever and you feel that the barriers are getting closer and closer as the end of the race approaches. But for the last couple of laps, I was able to relax and really enjoy the moment. It’s been an unbelievable day, capped with my impromptu sprint down the pit straight to the podium. I can tell you it’s a very long way but it was amazing to get such a fantastic reception from the crowd and I hope the fans enjoyed what was a great race for the team. The car felt good today but we didn’t have the best of starts to the weekend so it makes this victory even more of an achievement. For the team, for Mercedes-Benz and for my family who were here in Monaco watching the race this weekend, today has to be the high-point of what has been an exceptional season."
After six rounds of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship, Brawn GP leads the Constructors‘ Championship with 86 points with Jenson leading the Drivers‘ Championship with 51 points and Rubens in second place with 35 points.
"Fantastic drives from Jenson and Rubens, outstanding pit stops from the team and the performance of our Mercedes-Benz engine secured an amazing one-two victory for Brawn GP here in Monaco" declared Ross Brawn. "The Monaco Grand Prix is an incredibly special race and to win here means so much to everyone here at the track, at the factory in Brackley and at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth. Special congratulations to Mercedes-Benz for supplying an engine that has now won three Grands Prix, a modern day record in Formula One."
Brawn GP launch Fans Q&A!
Do you have a burning question that you would like to ask Ross Brawn? Do you want to know more about a specific area of the Brawn GP factory? Then log onto the Brawn GP website!
Every month, the Brawn GP team will answer 10 questions received through the team’s website from registered fans. Your questions can be addressed directly to our drivers Jenson and Rubens or to a specific member of the team or just to the team in general.
The new feature goes live today with the first answers to be online on Monday 15 June.
Brawn GP set to launch brand new competition!
Brawn GP is pleased to announce that every month, we will be offering one lucky fan the chance to win an exclusive team prize.
To enter, you just need to register on the website and correctly answer three questions related to the Brawn GP team. The name of the winner will be selected at random.
For the very first competition, starting Thursday, 28th of May, the prize will be an exclusive Rubens Barrichello miniature helmet signed by Rubens himself.
To find out more and enter the competition, please log into the website on Thursday.
Good luck!
