Monaco Grand Prix: Hamilton wins, Ferrari slips.

The Monaco Grand Prix was run today under rainy conditions and those conditions interfered with the usual course of the event. The track was very slippery and many drivers lost control of their cars during the race.

Heikki Kovalainen experienced a first failure during the pace lap. His car was stuck on the grid and he had to begin the race from pit road. Lewis Hamilton, starting third, managed to pass Kimi Raikkonen on the start. But Hamilton touched the railing only a few laps later and punctured a tire. He had to go thru pit lane to change the tire.

Fernando Alonso also touched the rail while David Coulthard and Sebastien Bourdais touched and were both forced to retire. The incident brought the safety car on the track, saving Lewis Hamilton from a disastrous track position.

Kimi Raikkonen then suffered a drive thru sanction. Ferrari installed Raikkonen's tires with under three minute to go to the start of the race which constitutes a rule violation. Ferrari's troubles continued only a few laps later, Felipe Massa lost control of his Ferrari and gave the lead to Lewis Hamilton who seemed to be on his lucky day.

But the biggest surprise of the race came from Force India's Adrian Sutil. After his final pit stop, Sutil came out in fourth place, just in front of Kimi Raikkonen. A dream position for the first year team.

But Nico Rosberg's crash transformed Force India's dream into a nightmare. The safety car was sent out on the track for a second time, regrouping the cars together with 16 laps to go. Kimi Raikkonen was right behind Adrian Sutil when the race resumed. Only a few laps later, the defending champion lost control of his car at the exit of the tunnel and slid into the Force India driven by Sutil who had to retire from the race, heartbroken.

Lewis Hamilton was not seriously challenged until the end and crossed the finish line in first place. Robert Kubica avoided trouble all race long and placed second.

Here is the top ten finish at Monaco:

Winner: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2-Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber)
3-Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
4-Mark Webber (Red Bull)
5-Sebastien Vettel (Toro Rosso)
6-Rubens Barrichello (Honda)
7-Kazuki Nakajima (Williams)
8-Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren)
9-Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
10-Fernando Alonso (Renault)

Drivers championship after 6/18 races:

1-Lewis Hamilton 38 points
2-Kimi Raikkonen 35 points
3-Felipe Massa 34 points
4-Robert Kubica 32 points
5-Nick Heidfeld 20 points
6-Heikki Kovalainen 15 points
7-Mark Webber 15 points
8-Fernando Alonso 9 points
9-Jarno Trulli 9 points
10-Nico Rosberg 8 points
11-Kazuki Nakajima 7 points
12-Sebastian Vettel 4 points
13-Jenson Button 3 points
14-Rubens Barrichello 3 points
15-Sebastien Bourdais 2 points

Constructors championship:

1-Ferrari 69 points
2-McLaren 53 points
3-BMW-Sauber 52 points
4-Williams 15 points
5-Red Bull 15 points
6-Toyota 9 points
7-Renault 9 points
8-Toro Rosso 6 points
9-Honda 6 points

(Picture: Lewis Hamilton, Getty Images.)