Monaco – Race: Hamilton beats Ricciardo to victory!

Using an aggressive tire strategy, Lewis Hamilton made the most of changing weather conditions to claim victory in the Principality! A return to the top for the reigning world champion, helped by a poor tire change from Daniel Ricciardo, who finished second. Sergio Pérez, a stunning third, completed the podium in a lively race!

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A dream setting, the Monaco Grand Prix was this year the stage for many high-profile issues.

After a pole brilliantly secured right under the noses of the Mercedes, could Daniel Ricciardo fulfill his dream in his Red Bull boosted by an additional thirty horsepower?

Behind him, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were lurking, despite yet another Q3 issue for the reigning world champion. *Could Hamilton finally be in a position to compete for victory on equal terms?* The match between the Red Bull outsider, [which has just extended its partnership with Renault,](https://www.f1.com/f1/actualite/21046-monaco-qualifications-ricciardo-coiffe-les-mercedes-.html/actualite/21058-Officiel-Renault-motorisera-Red Bull-et-Toro-Rosso-en-2017-et-2018.html) and the Mercedes champion promised to be thrilling…

For that, the Formula 1 paddock discovered a tricky setting at noon today: rain has made an appearance in the Principality! After disrupting the schedule of support races, it is now calling into question all the teams’ strategies. Behind the leading trio, from Sebastian Vettel, in fourth, to Max Verstappen, last after his crash in Q1, everyone could harbor the wildest hopes. Since 2008, a race in Monaco had never taken place on a wet track.

A rainy start, dictated by the Safety Car

First news at the time of the grid setup for the drivers: the winner of Barcelona was starting from the pits. In any case, everyone was doing one or even two reconnaissance laps, crucial laps to get the best feel for the track. Let’s remember that all the previous sessions took place on a dry track.

Despite a brief lull, a light drizzle still sprinkled the 22 drivers at the start of the sixth meeting of this season. Naturally, the race management decided to start the 78 laps under the control of the Safety Car.

Max Verstappen and Felipe Nasr joined the pack for a first lap in Indian file. Daniil Kvyat temporarily left the line to pit and change his steering wheel. The Toro Rosso driver lost a lap in the process and ended up in last position. Stuck in one gear, Kvyat returned to the garage again before solving the problem. The Russian livened up the start of the race in his own way, which was still under the safety car.

Tumultuous Relaunch: First Crashes on the Track

After 8 laps, the Safety Car finally disappeared. Daniel Ricciardo truly started this Monaco Grand Prix!

First major incident in the race: right from the starting line, Jolyon Palmer slides on a white line. He ends his race sliding along the railing, up to the Sainte-Dévote escape. The virtual safety car was activated a few meters further.

At the restart, Rosberg was already losing a few seconds to Ricciardo. Hamilton was getting eager. In the pack, Räikkönen was reminded of his relationship with Grosjean at Lotus. Iceman went on to hit the wall at the Loews hairpin, taking the Haas driver down with him. The Ferrari driver was left on the sidelines a few turns later, in the runoff area at the tunnel exit, sprinkling bits of carbon on the track like a little Poucet. Romain Grosjean could continue his race, albeit with a heated mind.

Behind, Magnussen and Button took a gamble by being the first to switch to intermediate tires. A choice imitated by Vettel, the first of the big names to pit on lap 14.

Ricciardo and Hamilton, going all the way on rain tires

Each driver could then play that card or stay on wet tires, like the Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton took advantage to seize second position, without an apparent fight with his teammate: the pit wall ordered a position swap!

Decision at first glance curious but paying off as an unleashed Hamilton forgot about Rosberg to catch up with Ricciardo!

After 20 laps, Ricciardo, Hamilton, and Rosberg formed the leading trio, still on rain tires. Sainz, Pérez, and Massa followed in the standings with the same tires. Vettel was the first on intermediate tires, seventh in the provisional standings. Further back, Verstappen was climbing towards the top 10, making his way past his competitors.

Translate:

On the 21st lap, Rosberg also switched to intermediate tires. Two new drivers were battling: Daniil Kvyat attempted a Jules Bianchi-like overtake by seeking an opening on Magnussen at Rascasse. Unlike the hero of the 2014 edition, Kvyat led the Renault driver into the wall and was taken out of the race.

Three laps later, Daniel Ricciardo finally got rid of his wet tires. Greeted by the appearance of the sun, the track was drying up, and Hamilton was the last of the Mohicans with his starting tires. Boldly, the reigning world champion took the lead of the race by extending his stint as much as possible.

The idea was crystal clear: to hold on until the switch to slick tires. In a remix of the hare and the tortoise, the Briton kept his opponent at bay before taking the gamble of using tires designed for dry conditions (ultra-softs!) on the 31st lap.

The crucial call of the tires for the dry: confusion for Ricciardo, Hamilton takes the lead!

General precipitation among the teams: Rosberg, Sainz, Hülkenberg, and Verstappen also opted for slick tires. A pit stop that created confusion at Red Bull: Daniel Ricciardo’s tires were not ready!

Shock for Dan the Man who at that moment lost the lead of the race to the benefit of Lewis Hamilton!

Starting on super-soft tires, Ricciardo immediately put pressure on Hamilton, who encountered traffic. His tire choice was the right one, at least at the beginning of the stint.

Behind, Sergio Pérez occupied an impressive third position, ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso… and Nico Rosberg, an anonymous sixth, struggling with brake issues. At the very moment Max Verstappen repeated his free practice error at Massenet. Third crash of the weekend for the Dutchman, abruptly ending his race. Helmut Marko appreciates his protégé’s performances only moderately this time…

Translate:

The text is not translatable.

After cutting the chicane at the tunnel exit, inadvertently squeezing his opponent, Hamilton played yo-yo with Ricciardo. The tire uncertainty was very interesting: Hamilton was on ultra-soft tires, Ricciardo on super-soft… and Sergio Pérez on soft tires! The Force India driver even pulled away from Vettel, who was still in fourth position, in the 50th lap.

At the bottom of the pack, the Sauber team offers a globally broadcasted dance show: a waltz between Ericsson and Nasr at the Rascasse. The two drivers collide and scatter debris on the track, prompting the brief appearance of the virtual safety car. An unwelcome ego battle in the Swiss team that temporarily distracted attention from the fight for victory!

Unflappable until now, Hamilton maintains a slight lead over Ricciardo in this regard. Rosberg, for his part, attempts a first attack on Alonso, without success. Between the two duos, Vettel catches up with Sergio Pérez, despite a big scare in the Massenet corner on lap 65.

Hamilton breaks the negative spiral and wins!

The race was entering its final phase, approaching the two-hour mark. Ricciardo was still navigating about two seconds behind the race leader. But a concerning guest was returning: small raindrops were back!

However, the rain ultimately will not change the situation, narrowly.

Victory for Lewis Hamilton! After grueling races, the Mercedes driver can finally give free rein to his joy. He finally clinches his 44th Grand Prix victory, the second of his career in the Principality after his 2008 success.

Second, Daniel Ricciardo is likely to rethink his complicated tire change for a long time. The Red Bull driver can find some consolation in gaining points on Nico Rosberg, just like the day’s winner. Despite the defeat, Red Bull will certainly have to be reckoned with in the future.

Third, Sergio Pérez creates a nice surprise by returning to the joys of the podium, the sixth of his career, and the first here in Monaco for him and his team.

He is ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who limits the damage but has yet to reach the honors of victory this season. The Ferrari team has its work cut out for the upcoming races. Finally, let’s mention the impressive fifth position of Fernando Alonso for McLaren’s 50th anniversary … and the seventh of Rosberg, overtaken by Hülkenberg on the line!

The driver marked with the number 6 therefore loses his status as a three-time consecutive winner on the streets of Monaco.

Here is the full ranking of this Monegasque round:

No. Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1
 Hamilton Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team 1h59’29″133
78
2
 Ricciardo Red Bull Racing +7.252
78
3
 Perez Sahara Force India F1 Team +13.825
78
4
 Vettel Scuderia Ferrari +15.846
78
5
 Alonso McLaren Honda +1:25.076
78
6
 Hülkenberg Sahara Force India F1 Team +1.32.999
78
7
 Rosberg Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team +1.33.290
78
8
 Sainz Jr. Scuderia Toro Rosso +1 Lap
77
9
 Button McLaren Honda +1 Lap
77
10
 Massa Williams Martini Racing +1 Lap
77
11
 Bottas Williams Martini Racing +1 Lap
77
12
 Gutierrez Haas F1 Team +1 Lap
77
13
 Grosjean Haas F1 Team +1 Lap
77
14
 Wehrlein Manor Marussia F1 +2 Laps
76
15
 Haryanto Manor Marussia F1 +2 Laps
76
16
 Ericsson Sauber F1 Team Abandon
51
17
 Nasr Sauber F1 Team Abandon
48
18
 Verstappen Red Bull Racing Abandon
34
19
 Magnussen Renault F1 Team Abandon
32
20
 Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Abandon
18
21
 Räikkönen Scuderia Ferrari Abandon
10
22
 Palmer Renault F1 Team Abandon
7
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