Elated Webber hits career high with Monaco Grand Prix triumph

As last season's winner Jenson Button remarked last week, it is the first race every driver wants to win, the glittering jewel in Formula One's crown.

And Webber emulated his feat in Spain a week ago with a lights-to-flag triumph, meaning the 33-year-old has led for a total of 144 consecutive laps.

More importantly, Webber is now in possession of the championship lead by virtue of two victories to one over Red Bull Racing team-mate Sebastian Vettel, with whom he is tied on 78 points.

In taking the chequered flag he became the first Australian to win in Monte Carlo since three-times champion Sir Jack Brabham in 1959.

In adding his name to the role of honour of winners such as six-times king Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and 'Mr Monaco' Graham Hill, who won five times, Webber said: "To win here is a very special day. It is incredible, the greatest day of my life today. To win in Monaco is a dream for any Formula One driver. Every Formula One victory is special, but to win on the streets here fair and square off pole, no attrition again, it's fantastic.

"And to join such great winners here, like Ayrton and those guys, is a special moment for me.

"I was also reminded yesterday Jack Brabham won here in 1959, so it has been a while for the Australians."

In celebration of their one-two, Red Bull's second this year that has also lifted the team into the lead in the constructors' championship, Webber and Vettel jumped in Monaco harbour. The party atmosphere continued later when team boss Christian Horner was thrown in the swimming pool that is on the upper deck of their floating motorhome.

Assessing his day's work, Webber added: "It started well yesterday with qualifying, but this place is such a test for two hours.

"I knew I had a lot of work to do. We had back markers and a lot of safety cars, so we were tested quite often with restarts and the like. All the basics that could test you were in front of us, so this is a very, very rewarding win."

There were four safety cars in total, the first at the end of lap one when Nico Hulkenberg ploughed his Williams into a concrete wall in the tunnel at 180mph due to a component failure on the front wing.

On a bad day for Williams, Rubens Barrichello suffered an issue with the rear of his car that resulted in him hurtling into a barrier at 150mph going up the hill through Beau Rivage.

The Brazilian rebounded across the track and hit the opposite barrier before coming to rest in the middle of the circuit facing the wrong way, minus his front and rear wing.

In an understandable fit of pique Barrichello tossed his steering wheel out of the cockpit and onto the track where it was hit by Hispania's Bruno Senna.

The third safety car came in bizarre circumstances due to a loose drain cover at turn three, Massanet, highlighting the unpredictability of driving on public roads.

Then four laps from home a foolish overtaking manoeuvre from Lotus' Jarno Trulli on Karun Chandhok at Rascasse resulted in the Italian bouncing up, over and landing on top of the HRT.

When the safety car pulled in after the final turn on the closing lap, Webber and Vettel finished just 0.4secs apart, with Renault's Robert Kubica third, followed by Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren.

Prior to his soaking with Webber, Vettel added: "In the end it was our optimum today. We've a lot of good points and those count at the end of the year by quite a bit. It is a long season, but I am very happy today."

The first safety car accounted for Button, who retired on lap three as his engine overheated after a cooling cover on the left-hand sidepod over the radiator was not removed prior to the race.

"It probably would have been fine if we hadn't had a safety car," said Button, who now sits fourth in the championship, eight points behind the leaders.

"My car quickly began to overheat and I started losing engine power. Today was just one of those days. It was human error, a mistake, that's all there is to it. We have to move on and I'm only eight points behind."