Williams Fail to Break Losing Streak in Monaco

Frank Williams and his technical director Patrick Head should be forgiven if they travelled home from the Monaco Grand Prix growling with frustration.

The BMW-powered team remain without a win on the unforgiving streets of the Mediterranean principality for 19 years.

Hopes were high with Juan Pablo Montoya starting on pole position and Ralf Schumacher fourth on the grid, but the outcome was once again disappointment with the Colombian's engine failing on lap 47 and Schumacher finishing third.

Williams' frustrations were best summarised by the BMW-Motorsport director Gerhard Berger.

"Normally, one should be pleased with third - but on the other hand, when you are racing for victory from pole position, it is a different thing. But this is Monaco," he said.

Not since Finn Keke Rosberg won the race in 1983 have Williams taken the Monaco event, though they have gone close several times most notably when Nigel Mansell finished just two-tenths of a second behind Ayrton Senna's McLaren in 1992.

That was the famous afternoon when Mansell had led by a luxurious advantage only to suffer a puncture with eight laps remaining. His pit stop cost him dearly, Senna stole the advantage and Mansell could not find a way past the brilliant Brazilian.

This year, Briton David Coulthard stole the lead from Williams and Montoya at the start of the race, and with it victory. Montoya raced hard in pursuit, but could not survive and retired with a blown engine.

"I am really disappointed I could not finish this race," said the Colombian, who is now joint second in the Championship with his teammate, 33 points behind Michael Schumacher. "It's a real shame that we had an engine failure as the car and the engine had behaved so well through the weekend."

Montoya pointed the finger of blame at the software in his launch control system for his sluggish start to the race.

"It's not good enough and we need to do something," he said. "I think it was a wake-up call for us today."

At least Ralf Schumacher ended up happy. It was the first time he had finished a race in Monaco in a Formula One car.

"I am really glad to have finished a race in Monaco at last," said Schumacher. "It is the first time for me since I was racing here in Formula Three and, on top of that, I am happy to finish on the podium.

"After five retirements here in F1, I was starting to believe that Monte Carlo doesn't like me at all. We have had a superb car all weekend here, but it wasn't enough to beat Ferrari and McLaren."