His team mate Kimi Raikkonen retired on lap 44 following an incident with Rubens Barrichello, which saw the Brazilian drive into the back of the Finn's McLaren at Nouvelle Chicane.

"It's absolutely unbelievable!" the Scot exclaimed in a press release. "I'm so pleased that I was able to win this race for the team as we have had a difficult start to the season and everybody has been working extremely hard.

"It was a tough race where I was giving 100 percent all the time. I made a good start and was able to take the lead into the first corner but was then under pressure for the vast majority of the 78 laps. This track is so unforgiving and a slight mistake will see you end up in the barriers.

"After about 30 laps it felt like I had lost a bit of power and then I saw smoke coming out from the back. I radioed back to the team and they told me it was nothing to worry about and fortunately they were right. Victories have been and will continue to be hard to get this season, so I intend to enjoy this one as much as possible."

Raikkonen's retirement was his sixth in as many races, and came after a turbulent weekend for the Finn that saw him crash twice in practice and utilise four cars by the end of qualifying.

"This has been a difficult weekend for me and today things didn't get any better. I made an OK start and had a good battle with Rubens for sixth," he commented.

"I think he braked too late at the chicane and went into the back of me. I managed to get into the pits where the team fitted a new wing. I was able to rejoin the race for two laps but there was no balance in the car and I had to retire."

Team boss Ron Dennis added: "A tactical race for David and the entire team which was particularly pleasurable as we were able to resolve David's only problem utilising our telemetry systems.

"We were a little surprised with Michael Schumacher's initial pace following his pit stop, which triggered us to make an earlier stop than scheduled. A great result, which not only increases our Monaco race wins to 12 but also demonstrates the depth and commitment that we have to winning.

"Kimi drove a disciplined race, which with the attrition that is normal for Monaco could have given him strong points finish. Barrichello's mistake is just one of those racing incidents which cost both of them dearly. That said it's been a tremendous result for the team and a result well deserved."