Alonso steers clear of Monaco mayhem

Fernando Alonso took second place on Sunday in one of the most exciting Grand Prix that the legendary street circuit of Monaco has seen in many years. The Ferrari driver kept a cool head throughout an incident-packed race, which was eventually won by the seemingly unstoppable Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel. McLaren's Jenson Button took third place on the podium.

Having made a good start, Alonso was battling with Vettel and Button for most of the race, and as the laps ticked away it looked as though the Spaniard and the Briton were going to catch the German, whose tires were dangerously close to losing their grip.

But just six laps before the checkered flag, a crash involving Spain's Jaime Alguersuari and Russia's Vitaly Petrov saw the race red flagged. Before the race was restarted, the teams were allowed to put on fresh tires, canceling out the advantage Alonso and Button had on Vettel.

The German managed to extend his lead in the championship, and now has 143 points. Alonso remains in fifth place in the drivers' rankings, with 69 points, just seven points behind fourth-placed Jenson Button.