Webber gets to dine with the prince after taking Monaco crown

London: From house of ill repute to the House of Grimaldi.

Mark Webber's graduation from racing rank-and-file to genuine Formula One force was emphatically completed on Sunday night as he dined with Albert II at the Prince's Palace overlooking the famous circuit where two hours earlier he had added his name to those of Juan Manuel Fangio, Ayrton Senna and his own countryman, Jack Brabham, in winning the Monaco Grand Prix.

Afterwards Webber recalled how he had had to share a room with his partner Ann, his father Alan, and a few others above an old brothel when he won here in Formula 3000 nine years ago.

The Australian from Queanbeyan in New South Wales had not been able to sleep all night, he told us, because his "old man can really cut some wood; he can snore like hell".

Webber then joined what seemed like the entire Red Bull team in the pool on their floating paddock home before leaping, still fully clothed, into Monaco's harbour. To judge from the effluence deposited there during the previous four nights of yacht-going revelry, that might have been his first wrong move of the day. Then again, he did manage to pick up a 2,200 euros (Dh9,976.18) fine for speeding in the pit-lane before the race had even started.

On fire

Webber really was on fire from the word go over the weekend. The Australian's victory was the highlight of an absorbing Monaco Grand Prix that featured three safety cars, some spectacular crashes and more than its fair share of controversy.

Jenson Button's championship hopes were dented by an engine burnout after just three laps — the result of one McLaren mechanic's failure to remove a cooling cover before sending the Englishman out to the grid — while Michael Schumacher was demoted from sixth to 12th following a lengthy stewards' inquiry into the final-lap incident in which he overtook Fernando Alonso's Ferrari under safety car conditions.

The presence of Damon Hill, Schumacher's old adversary, on the stewards' panel gave the episode a delicious twist. Perhaps that is why Mercedes are appealing against the decision. The day had begun in far less breathless fashion.

The sun shone, the yachts bobbed and the celebrities flashed their pearly white teeth. Compared with last year's credit crunch grid-walk, which had Geri Halliwell as its star, Martin Brundle was spoilt for choice this time.

Mick Jagger commanded the most attention, but he was in good company alongside actor Michael Douglas, rappers Dr Dre and Pharrell Williams, and Monte Carlo regular Naomi Campbell.

Webber's victory was never in much doubt from the moment he reached the Sainte Devote corner in the lead. Monaco's sinewy street circuit offers famously little in the way of overtaking opportunities and Sebastian Vettel's dive up the inside of Renault's Robert Kubica to claim second place proved decisive.

The other thing Monaco is famous for is safety cars and we had one before the first lap was out; Nico Hulkenberg's Williams slamming into the left-hand wall of the tunnel.

That gave Alonso, who had started from the pit-lane following his crash on Saturday, the chance to make his one compulsory stop and catch up with the field.

The Spaniard not only overtook a fair number of backmarkers, he also made his new tyres last the next 77 laps to claim a potentially valuable sixth place following Schumacher's demotion.