FIA International F3000 Round 5: Monaco (MC), 3rd June 2000

Kristian Kolby failed to qualify after spinning in the first session and breaking down on track in the second. It was the second DNQ in succession for the Danish DAMS driver who is surely suffering from low morale after a nightmare rookie season. McLaren's Tomas Enge was also a surprise non-qualifier, joined by Jaime Melo (Petrobras Junior) and Yves Olivier (Witmeur KTR). Both sessions saw a great deal of action as the inexperienced drivers got to grips with the tight track. In the first session Olivier and Viktor Maslov crashed separately at St Devote, while Darren Manning, Kolby and Melo all spun at the same corner. Jeffrey van Hooydonk crashed just before the tunnel as Senna had in 1988, while Enge bounced along the barriers entering Casino. The second session saw yet more action. Andre Couto crashed in the Swimming Pool section, while Soheil Ayari and Melo collided on the corner before the pit-straight. Bas Leinders and Mark Webber both crashed exiting the Swimming Pool. In between those incidents provisional pole-sitter Saelens shunted at Rascasse. Other drivers to spin included Webber, Hynes, van Hooydonk, Junqueira and Christijan Albers. An incident-packed race seemed sure to follow on Saturday.

Bruno Junqueira mastered the streets of Monaco and looks to be unstoppable in his quest for the International F3000 Championship. His third win in succession has given him a 20-point lead in the standings, and none of his rivals in terms of points have been able to match him for consistency. Junqueira's hat-trick of victories is the first in the modern single chassis & engine formula. It was a difficult drive in unusually hot Summer weather compounded by the fact he was suffering from flu. He was so exhausted after the race that he had to lie down on the podium steps after the ceremony.

Junqueira benefited from a little luck once again, however, as Sebastien Bourdais and David Saelens collided at St Devote, the first corner. Saelens once again made a poor start, but refused to give way to Bourdais. The French F3 champion closed the door on the Belgian and both their races were spoilt. The Frenchman lost out the most as he spun backwards into the barrier, but Saelens was able to continue. The Belgian was demoted to fourth behind Junqueira, Jamie Davies and Stephane Sarrazin. It was the crucial moment of the race for Junqueira and Davies who stayed in the top two positions until the end of the race.

Sarrazin, at last performing in the third race of the season, then tried to pull over and retire at Portier on lap 5, his car finally failing after his fuel pressure dropped from the start. Turning to his right across the track before the tunnel, Ricardo Mauricio (Red Bull Junior) could do nothing to avoid clattering into the McLaren junior Lola. Both were forced to retire, although Mauricio made an ill-fated attempt to return to the pits. Minus his front wing, he slid into the barriers at the swimming pool.

The leading pair of Junqueira and Davies managed to pull away from Saelens with a further gap opening up to Bernoldi and Webber scrapping for fourth place. Behind them a train of cars consisted of Nicolas Minassian, Kevin McGarrity, Franck Montagny and Justin Wilson. Gaps opened and closed amongst the packs, but there were never any passing opportunities. Only Wilson managed to make up a place, a do-or-die move on Montagny at the Loews hairpin paying off.

At the front Bernoldi had pulled away from Davies who kept on his tail in the early stages. He was six seconds ahead by lap 32, but then the safety car emerged meaning he had to do it all again. Bernoldi, visibly struggling in the preceding laps, lost it at Tabac after running onto the marbles. It was the third successive failure to finish while running in the points. Another accident was suffered by rookie Marc Hynes. The reigning British F3 champion was running competitively at the time, but his car was not handling well after a first-lap clash at the tail of the field and a subsequent bash with a guardrail. Exiting the final corner onto the straight, his right rear wheel fell off and sent him first into the pitwall and then into the barriers on the other side.

After the wreckage of the two cars was cleared up, the race restarted on lap 35. Junqueira immediately began to pull away again, Davies understandably deciding discretion was the best part of valour. At the restart McGarrity passed Minassian going up the hill, the Frenchman having made an error at St Devote. Montagny then repassed Wilson for seventh with a brave move at Mirabeau. Ahead, McGarrity chased Webber hard, the Australian visibly struggling. It all got too much for the Silverstone winner at Tabac with two laps remaining. The back end of his European Arrows car stepped out and he slid hard into the barriers. It would become a familiar site over the weekend, with Arrows F1 drivers Pedro de la Rosa and Jos Verstappen crashing at the same place in the F1 morning warm-up and race respectively. Thus McGarrity inherited fourth, his first points finish since Imola at the start of last year. Minassian and Montagny clinched the final points places ahead of Wilson and Fernando Alonso. The Spanish Astromega driver set the fastest lap on the way. Only 11 of the 26 starters were still running at the race's end.

Junqueira now has a seemingly unassailable lead in the standings, 20 points ahead of Minassian with just five rounds remaining.

QUALIFYING:

(All cars Lola B99/50-Zytek)

RACE RESULT:

Key: R=Retired, DQ(x)=disqualified from position x.

(All cars Lola B99/50-Zytek)

Scoring: 10-6-4-3-2-1.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: