Fuel preservation key to Alonso win

Lewis Hamilton had started the race with enough fuel to go five laps further than his McLaren teammate before he needed to make a stop, and the rookie said that he was surprised when the team called him in just three laps after Alonso.

"I was quite surprised, because I was fuelled to do five, nearly six laps longer than Fernando, and they stopped me with three laps," Hamilton said.

"So the time where I was really able to bridge the gap, I wasn't really given much time. I came in two or three laps after. So that's unfortunate, but that's the way it goes.

"I am looking forward to speaking to my engineers. I'm pretty sure the reason they would have pulled me in earlier than I have fuel for is because of the safety car.

"If the safety car had come out, it could really have changed the result. So it was better to get the pitstop done."

Alonso, however, said that he'd managed to even the fuel loads up a little during the race, preventing Hamilton from making up enough time to take the lead when the stops had been completed.

"I'd just like to maybe clarify the situation," Alonso said.

"I was two laps later than I should have been in the first stint because I saved fuel in the first part of the race, and the formation lap and things like that. They were telling me that maybe I was only three laps shorter than him."

McLaren boss Ron Dennis said the team had originally chosen a one-stop strategy for Hamilton, but decided to revert to a two-stop one at the first pitstop.

"There is some disappointment because of the different strategies we needed to follow to cope with a potential deployment of the safety car which has happened four times in the last five years," Dennis said.

"Consequently you virtually have to decide in advance which one of the team's two drivers will claim the victory.

"Once the first round of pitstops had taken place we reverted Lewis from a one-stop strategy to the faster two-stop strategy and at the same time slowed both cars down to conserve the brakes.

"As a team we would like to race but this circuit requires a disciplined approach and as a result we can leave Monte Carlo with the maximum amount of points."