MONACO, (CMC) — McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in the Monaco Grand Prix here yesterday, as Red Bull’s dominant Australian Mark Webber took his second successive Formula One victory.

The 25-year-old, who had Grenadian ancestry, started fifth on the grid but made little headway as Webber’s teammate Sebastien Vettel with Renault’s Robert Kubica grabbing third.

Hamilton battled hard but was held off by the obdurate Felipe Massa who handed Ferrari fourth spot.

“I got quite a good start, and was challenging the guys on the second row into Turn One, but it just wasn’t possible to make a move stick,” said Hamilton.

“It’s virtually impossible to overtake around here, especially when the guys in front of me were as fast as I was.”

Hamilton, who has seen his title quest this season riddled with misfortune, said he was intent on avoiding any accidents.

“After the result in Barcelona (last week), I didn’t want any further mishaps, so I just looked after the car and went for the points,” he noted.

“It was quite a straightforward race for me, and fifth was the maximum possible, but I’m not complaining; we need those points.”

Hamilton lies seventh in the drivers’ standings on 59 points.

Teammate Jenson Button never got past the third lap after he was forced out when his McLaren developed engine trouble.

For the second successive week, Webber drove from pole to flag to secure his win which put him on top of the drivers’ standings on 78 points.