Monaco – Race: Hamilton tames Verstappen!

Announced in the weather forecast, the rain ultimately did not appear at the time of the drivers’ grid setup. A grid inevitably marked by emotion with a tribute to Niki Lauda, highlighted by an abundance of red caps, the Austrian’s favorite headwear, who passed away on Monday evening. A minute of silence was also observed 15 minutes before the start. Moved by his death, Hamilton even presented a unique helmet in the colors of the three-time world champion.

A few minutes before the start, the sky is cloudy over Monaco. Thanks to a well-executed Q3, the two Mercedes cars of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas start from the front row, ahead of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari. The local driver, Charles Leclerc, starts only 15th after Ferrari’s strategic error in Q1 this Saturday.

Hamilton stays in control, Leclerc in trouble.

At the start, the 20 drivers are very calm and there are no incidents to report! Opportunistic, Daniel Ricciardo manages to take 5th place from Kevin Magnussen, while the two Alfa Romeos miss their start. Antonio Giovinazzi is caught off guard by Robert Kubica’s Williams.

Well launched, Charles Leclerc has already gained two places and is pressing behind Grosjean’s Haas. The Ferrari driver tries his luck several times at Rascasse and eventually finds an opening on the 8th lap in a bold but fair maneuver. The following lap, the Monegasque attacks at the same spot, this time against Nico Hülkenberg, with things going much less smoothly! The Ferrari hits the right rear of the Renault and spins. Leclerc falls back behind Romain Grosjean but manages to stay ahead of Carlos Sainz, just barely.

Unfortunately, both cars do not emerge unscathed from this collision. Hülkenberg and Leclerc both have to deal with a puncture: The Ferrari even loses debris on track and its driver stops at the pits. Just after exiting, the race direction deploys the Safety Car to clean the track and a flurry of pit stops ensues among the leaders, with Hamilton and Bottas stopping one after the other, as well as Verstappen and Vettel. The two McLarens and the two Toro Rosso choose not to take this option and move into the Top 10. ⚠️ SAFETY CAR ⚠️ Debris strewn across the track from Leclerc’s car #MonacoGP 🇲🇨 #F1 pic.twitter.com/UA9nsNZ0Vi — Formula 1 (@F1) 26 May 2019

Verstappen is released right next to Bottas’s Mercedes. The two drivers collide, the Dutchman forces his way through, but the incident is placed under investigation a few laps later by the stewards. The Finn has to pit again, with a punctured tire. He then fits hard tires, attempting to finish the race like Vettel and Verstappen. Only Hamilton chose to go back out on medium tires!

LAP 9/78: Bottas and Verstappen touch as they pit under the Safety Car 😯#MonacoGP 🇲🇨 #F1 pic.twitter.com/ZwPdPPqbC1

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 26, 2019

On the 15th lap, it’s heating up again at La Rascasse, this time between Robert Kubica and Antonio Giovinazzi. The two men, who haven’t left each other since the start of the race, collide and block part of the pack behind. They eventually continue without too much damage to their respective cars.

LAP 15/78:

😵 Traffic jam at La Rascasse

They’ve untangled themselves now – phew! #MonacoGP 🇲🇨 #F1 pic.twitter.com/VY7OchzxT0

— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 mai 2019

The nightmare weekend continues for Leclerc, who is informed via radio about the numerous damages to his car. The Monegasque heads to the pits to switch to soft tires but eventually retires on the 8th lap after a disappointing race.

Penalty for Verstappen, intense midfield battle!

After a few laps of calm, the penalty is handed down to Verstappen on the 23rd lap: a five-second penalty at his next pit stop for being released dangerously by his team. The Red Bull driver is nonetheless a true challenger for Hamilton as he doesn’t allow him more than a one-second lead. Right behind, an opportunistic Vettel puts pressure on the Red Bull, and Bottas closes out this small train of four cars that have broken away.

In a provisional 5th position, Pierre Gasly benefited from a well-timed pit stop on the 28th lap to get ahead of Carlos Sainz, and the two Toro Rosso cars of Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Albon.

Not yet having pitted, Romain Grosjean and Lando Norris complete the Top 10, as both have not yet stopped. The Spaniard finally stopped on the 30th lap, a few laps after Pierre Gasly. Both men rejoined in 9th and 8th positions respectively to go to the end on mediums. On his fresh tires, Sainz even had the luxury of setting the fastest lap in the race on the 33rd lap. Gasly regained 5th place, also passing Kyvat and Albon, then Grosjean after their tire changes.

Encouraging start for the team but a lot of racing left to go. Carlos in P6, Lando P10.#MonacoGP 🇲🇨 pic.twitter.com/YZRZuueNeL

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) 26 mai 2019

In the lead, Hamilton is still being pressured by Verstappen. The Red Bull driver still has a pending 5-second penalty that will be added to his race time if he doesn’t pit again. He can still aim for a podium finish by distancing himself as much as possible from Bottas, who is already 3 seconds and 7 tenths behind the Dutchman. The gap stabilizes after the midpoint of the race.

For these leaders, traffic is a real issue: on his Racing Point, Lance Stroll causes Bottas to lose time by moving aside only three corners later. The top four are within less than four seconds of each other by the 50th lap. It’s the moment chosen by Romain Grosjean, who finally gets rid of his starting soft tires. The Frenchman re-enters in 9th position and clearly makes a good move. The opposite is true for Ricciardo, 10th, and Magnussen, 12th, who were better positioned before the Safety Car.

Hamilton on a tightrope against Verstappen, until the end!

The laps go by but Hamilton is still a precarious leader, with medium tires, against Verstappen on his hard tires. All the Englishman’s concern is focused on the state of his tires, having no hope that he can make it to the finish with these tires! Also on mediums, Gasly chooses to pit again on the 63rd lap. He fits the soft tires to go for the point for the fastest lap. In a no man’s land, the Frenchman rejoins behind Bottas and in front of Sainz, in 6th.

LAP 51/78

📻 HAM: “I think I’m in trouble guys – the left front is dead”#MonacoGP 🇲🇨 #F1 pic.twitter.com/Z372Qav7y5

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 26, 2019

Behind this attention-monopolizing duo, there is no plot twist but a penalty for Romain Grosjean, who crossed the white line at the pit exit. Fortunately for the Frenchman, in 9th place, the following driver, Daniel Ricciardo, is 13 seconds behind!

Still struggling with his medium tires, Hamilton manages the pressure as best he can against Verstappen.

On the 70th lap, the Dutchman moved aside at Portier; an impossible spot to overtake but a real warning for the Brit. One lap later, the Red Bull driver loses the front of his car in the Pool esses and heads into the escape route, without damage and without gaining an advantage. But the driver of car #33 gets back in the game and tries his luck again: at Portier and at the Tunnel exit. This second spot is the one Verstappen uses on the 76th lap: inside at the Tunnel exit, the 21-year-old dives… and hits Hamilton’s left rear wheel!

#MonacoGP 🇲🇨 | T 76/78

Contact entre Hamilton et Verstappen 😯💥

Aucun dégât !#F1 pic.twitter.com/C5sHztevLj

— Secteur F1 🏎🇫🇷 (@Secteur_F1) 26 mai 2019

The two protagonists narrowly avoid a collision and make it to the end of the Grand Prix. The victory goes to Lewis Hamilton, who immediately dedicates this win to Niki Lauda with his engineer and Toto Wolff via radio. However, the Mercedes team loses its series of five consecutive one-twos, with Sebastian Vettel in 2nd place. Valtteri Bottas settles for third place, while Max Verstappen is not rewarded for his spirited drive, finishing in a modest fourth place due to his five-second penalty.

💬 Toto: “Lewis, that was a victory worthy of Niki, well done, unbelievable job, congratulations!”#MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/CvzkSklgrW

— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) May 26, 2019

Behind, the standings did not change from fifth to eighth place: Romain Grosjean loses his ninth place by a tenth to Daniel Ricciardo after his penalty.

Another distinction for Pierre Gasly, who secures the point for the fastest lap after already achieving it in China.

Here is the ranking of the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix

RACE CLASSIFICATION: A superb effort from @LewisHamilton 💪#MonacoGP 🇲🇨 #F1 pic.twitter.com/hAZIjHSZy7

— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 mai 2019

For clarification, the incident between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the exit of the Tunnel on the 77th lap is under investigation by the stewards but was ultimately deemed a racing incident. Both drivers keep their positions!

From our special correspondents in Monaco