Mark Webber grabbed Monaco GP with both hands and 'hung on"

MARK Webber has a strange affinity for Monte Carlo.

Webber wins Monaco

MARK Webber has a strange affinity for Monte Carlo.

As he says in the Queanbeyan vernacular of his youth, he's "not big on all the tits and glamour" of the Monaco Grand Prix, but he is big on the revered street circuit and the heritage of Formula One's most coveted race title.

"A win here means twice as much as anywhere else, even if there are still only 25 points available," he declared after winning the great race for the second time in three years.

"When you have the chance to get a result like this, you have to grab it with both hands."

On Sunday, Webber did just that to become the first Australian to win the Monaco GP a second time, his pole-to-flag victory occurring in almost identical fashion to his 2010 victory and continuing his outstanding record on the track that has delivered him more success than any other. He describes this race as "hugely challenging ... to the extent that you're not really racing other people, it's you against the track".

"It's also a real momentum weekend. You need to be on a roll going into qualifying, and that means exploring the limits in practice."

Webber's first victory at Monaco came in Formula 3000 in 2001, a performance that earned him a place at the Formula One table the following year.

Monte Carlo was also the setting for his first F1 podium appearance, when he finished third there in 2005.

Then there was the breakthrough victory in 2010 that put him in the driver's seat for the world championship for most of the year before a late fade-out delivered the title to Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel.

Now this win has given him a second run at the world title, lifting him to equal second in the standings on 73 points, just three short of pacesetter Fernando Alonso.

"I'm absolutely delighted," Webber said. "It was a tough race and I only knew I had it won when I came out of the final corner on the last lap. Prior to that I couldn't relax for one moment. The start and the pitstop were key, and they both went well and I did a bit of work in between.

"Only the other day I watched the 1982 Monaco GP on TV, when Alain Prost crashed out of the lead with two laps to go. You can never get ahead of yourself around here because it has the ability to bite you."

The threat of rain, some of which fell late in the race, kept Webber on edge throughout.

"There was a constant threat of rain and it started to spit at various times, so it was difficult to tell how slippery the track was from one corner to the next," he said.

"There were different parts of the race where I had to be incredibly focused and make sure we really capitalised on the positioning we had."

Webber is the sixth different winner in as many races this season and said he would not be surprised to see a seventh winner triumph in Montreal in two weeks, given the unpredictability of the Pirelli tyres being used this year.

However, he hopes the Monaco win is just the first of "more to come".

"We need to be scoring all the time - when days like this come along, you just cannot let them go at all. You have to grab them with both hands and feet and hang on to them like hell.

"Consistency is nice, but wins are what wins championships. Well, DNFs can shag championships as well, but you need to win and then keep consistent."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was full of praise for the Australian. "Mark drove an immaculate race and after a very clean getaway, he controlled the race from the front," he said.