MONACO, (Reuters) – Formula One will chalk up a notable first if Lewis Hamilton finishes first in Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Never before has the glamour sport seen six different winners in the first six races of a season and McLaren’s 2008 world champion has yet to open his 2012 victory account going into his favourite race.
Hamilton, winner in the Mediterranean principality in his title year, has every chance of standing on the top step of the podium as well as chalking up McLaren’s 150th pole after being denied it in Barcelona due to a fuel error.
British bookmakers William Hill have the 27-year-old Briton as their 3-1 favourite, with double world champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso both at 5-1 for Red Bull and Ferrari respectively.
In this most unpredictable of seasons, with five different teams winning the first five races, anything could happen however.
“We are going into Monaco, something we’ve been very good at, we’ve won more Monacos than anyone else,” said McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh.
“We go there with the belief that we can win but anyone who makes predictions at the moment in this sport would be nuts.”
Despite his love of the tight and twisting street circuit, Hamilton has never started on pole in Monaco where overtaking is extremely tricky, even with KERS and moveable rear wings, and grid position crucial.
He has however finished on the podium twice and in the points on four of his five visits.
“I think he is (a favourite),” said Whitmarsh. “And he thinks that and that’s good and he’s in that frame of mind. He deserves it, there’s absolutely no doubt about it.
“We’ve got to work hard and make sure he’s got a good car, don’t make any mistakes and that he’s in a position to fulfil his potential at a circuit where he’s won in Formula Three, GP2 and Formula One.”
