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Hello and welcome to ESPN's live coverage of the Monaco Grand Prix. --- 1400: The safety car has led them away. Lots of spray for the guys further back. --- 13:58: So, who do you fancy for the win today? Ricciardo has to be favourite, the only time I thought he could have been under threat was at the start. --- Siddhesh says: Safety car starts are so boring! What is the point of drivers going around doing nothing. Might as well delay the start till conditions get better. 13:55: Red Bull has managed to get Verstappen's car to the end of the pit lane, where he and Nasr are starting the race. The team was working flat-out to get his car ready in time. --- 13:53: So that's a shame. But I guess you have to give the drivers a chance to understand how bad the conditions are. --- 13:51: Safety car start confirmed. --- 13:50: The national anthem is done, we're ten minutes away from lights out. Excited yet? You should be. --- 13:45: Alonso tells Sky Sports he thinks the race will start under a safety car. Says there's very limited grip. --- 13:43: I assume the drivers will still be heading to the front of the grid for the national anthem. Brollys at the ready.... --- 13:41: I would be very surprised if this race starts as normal. Looks likely to be under the safety car -- which would mean everyone starts on full wets. Red Bull wouldn't mind a safety car restart at the moment... --- 13:36: Ricciardo looking best place for his first win since Belgium in 2014. He was absolutely superb yesterday and a bit like a man on a mission. --- 13:34: Real anticipation in the air for this one. Rain at Monaco, Mercedes not on pole, genuinely difficult to predict how this one will unfold. --- 13:33: It's not yet clear whether there will be a safety car start here. --- 13:32: Vettel and Raikkonen the first drivers out on track. Alonso also out pretty sharpish. 13:30: The pit lane is open and the cars are heading out on track. The rain is coming down heavily now so it looks like full wets will be the sensible call for the race. |
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Lap 1 |
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Lap 2 |
James says: Starting under safety car. Why was our time, money. Is the top Management of F1 determined to destroy the show? They are well on their way to doing so! Wait to the rain has cleared enough for the cars to run. I am turning off F1 Monaco --a boring at the best of times-- to watch Roland Garros Tennis." Oh, disaster for Kvyat, he's dropping down the order. We heard him swearing on the radio about some car problems. The Russian driver has pitted. |
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Lap 3 |
Kvyat says he's still stuck in gear. He sounds pretty upset. You've got to feel sorry for the lad.... |
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Lap 4 |
Kvyat sounds so disconsolate on the radio. Very solid weekend and it's all fallen apart. |
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Lap 5 |
Looks like Kvyat is back to normal pace... only problem is he's a lap behind. Come on Charlie, get this safety car in. "It's time to go racing, come on," Magnussen tells Renault. |
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Lap 6 |
"The spray is better now, let's get going," Hamilton tells Mercedes. |
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Lap 7 |
Safety car will be IN this lap. Finally. |
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Lap 8 |
Nicely managed restart from Ricciardo and they file through Ste Devote in order. Magnussen pits immediately for intermediate tyres. Renault gambling. Palmer has binned it at Ste Devote in the other Renault! We also saw Hamilton getting very wide at the hairpin but he hasn't lost a position to Vettel. Palmer has absolutely destroyed the front end of that Renault. Replays show he just lost it at full throttle as he drove over a zebra crossing on the start/finish straight. |
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Lap 9 |
Virtual Safety Car in effect while they clear that debris, which goes all the way along the main straight towards Ste Devote. Thankfully Palmer is out of the car and unhurt. Very odd crash, seemed to snap to the left suddenly. |
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Lap 10 |
VSC still out as the clean up continues but it comes to an end as they enter the second sector. Hamilton is right behind Rosberg as they come through the tunnel. Rosberg looks like he's struggling for grip compared to Hamilton as he tiptoes through the final sector. Doesn't need to do anything silly, he has track position and the onus is on Hamilton to make a move. Ricciardo racing away in the distance. Button, Magnussen, Nasr and Kvyat have moved on to intermediates. |
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Lap 11 |
Fastest lap from Button and then Nasr on the intermediates. Time for everyone to change? Grosjean and Raikkonen are in the wall at Portier. Both men get going again but Raikkonen is dragging his front wing underneath the car as he goes through the tunnel! He's juddering down to Nouvelle, trying to make it back to the pit lane. He retires at Nouvelle, he must have now been told about the wing. |
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Lap 12 |
Ricciardo already five seconds up the road. Replays show Raikkonen tagging the wall at Lowes, then he loses steering and ends up closing up into Grosjean through Portier. Grosjean not happy about it on the radio. Hamilton weaving left to right to try and find a gap. |
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Lap 13 |
Fastest lap from Ricciardo, 1:37.896. His race to lose at this stage. Raikkonen will be investigated after the race. Red Bull pits Verstappen for intermediates. Ricciardo's lead now eight seconds. Interesting calls to be made by Mercedes now - if they have to pit these guys do they stack Hamilton? |
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Lap 14 |
Ferrari pit Vettel for intermediate tyres. How will Mercedes respond with Rosberg and Hamilton? Vettel emerges in a nice bit of clear air to get some heat into those tyres. I think this is pretty clear from Rosberg - he's got a huge championship lead and he's managing the race perfectly, from his own point of view. Hulkenberg and then Sainz have massive wobbles through the Swimming Pool but both do a great job catching them. |
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Lap 15 |
Alonso, who had risen to seventh, pits for intermediate tyres. Ricciardo leads by 12 seconds. Hamilton seven tenths behind Rosberg, with Hulkenberg a second behind. Ricciardo is lapping three seconds quicker than the guys behind - amazing stuff. |
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Lap 16 |
Another fastest lap from Ricciardo, a 1:35.946. Hulkenberg pits from fourth for intermediate tyres. Bottas does the same. Hamilton has passed Rosberg! We haven't seen it on the FOM broadcast but the world champion is up to second. Replays show Rosberg slowing up the hill and Hamilton passing. Was that Mercedes asking Rosberg to let the quicker car through? It certainly looked like that. |
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Lap 17 |
In clear air, Hamilton sets a fastest lap, a 1:35.194. He's dropped 13 seconds behind the race leader, though. Replays show Vettel passing Massa at Nouvelle but running across the chicane. He has to let the Brazilian back through and now Hulkenberg has moved right up behind the Williams. Mercedes has confirmed it asked Rosberg to let Hamilton to pass. |
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Lap 18 |
You can see why - another fastest lap for Hamilton, a 1:34.870. Rosberg's last lap a 1:37.461. Such a difference in confidence between the Mercedes. Great battle for sixth brewing behind Massa - Vettel, Hulkenberg and now Alonso all right behind the Williams driver. |
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Lap 19 |
I wonder how this went down inside Rosberg's helmet. Replays show Verstappen passing Nasr for 15th at Nouvelle. |
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Lap 20 |
There's an almighty train of cars behind Wehrlein in 12th and Bottas dives down the inside of Nouvelle. He slides over the kerb and surely has to give the position back - but Verstappen has now got past the Manor driver! Bottas slows to let Wehrlein through, allowing Verstappen to pass in the process. He then has to immediately slam the door on Magnussen! |
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Lap 21 |
Another fastest lap, as Ricciardo crosses in a 1:34.360. Mercedes calls Rosberg in for intermediate tyres. Siddesh asks: "Why is Rosberg so slow? Is confidence really the only reason for such a big gap? If so, that's some pretty poor driving!" That will be a big question after the race. Let's see if he feels more comfortable on the intermediates. Kvyat and Magnussen in the wall at Rascasse. Both men reverse out but the Toro Rosso driver looks to be stuck there. Magnussen scampers away. Replays show Magnussen clipped the wall at Tabac, they then touched at the first Swimming Pool chicane. Kvyat then goes for a gap that definitely wasn't there on the inside at Rascasse. That's the driving of an angry man. "What the f--- was he doing!?" asks Magnussen. |
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Lap 22 |
A group of cars come out of the pits as Rosberg comes through and he's very nearly jumped by Perez but, crucially, he gets out in front of the Force India. Verstappen has done a fastest lap, a 1:32.649, so intermediates are definitely the way to go now. |
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Lap 23 |
Hamilton should just be OK to keep second if he pits at the end of this lap. Ricciardo will be well clear in the lead. Are the two leading men thinking of how long they can stick this wet tyre stint out and switch to slicks? |
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Lap 24 |
Ricciardo pits from the lead and he gets out again but, remarkably, Hamilton stays out. What is Mercedes doing here? Way too wet for slicks right now. That man Perez is right in the mix. Hamilton stays out. Mercedes waiting for slick tyre conditions, but how long can Hamilton keep those wet tyres out of the wall? He's got track position. Verstappen is charging and he's now up to tenth. Started from the pit lane, remember. |
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Lap 25 |
The track is drying out quickly... This could just work for Mercedes! Has Red Bull just thrown this way away for Ricciardo? The sun is out and this race is heading towards slick tyre weather. Mercedes readying some tyres in the pit lane... Ricciardo now four seconds behind. He's losing a second a lap and at the moment will maybe just creep out ahead of Ricciardo. |
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Lap 26 |
Ricciardo, on three lap old interemdiates, catching Hamilton at a rate of knots. Hamilton is telling Mercedes the tyres feel good. That racing line is getting drier and drier. Remember, everyone will need a switch to slicks as well so Hamilton will be racing Ricciardo for the lead when they stop. |
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Lap 27 |
Hamilton stays out again. Ricciardo is right up behind him. Game of poker going on in the pit lane, who will bite first? Slick tyres any time now. Perez is right behind Rosberg, who is 26 seconds behind Hamilton. Ricciardo has good speed through the tunnel but opts against anything ballsy into Nouvelle. Replays show Ericsson giving Bottas a tap on the inside while trying to pass on the inside of Rascasse. |
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Lap 28 |
Hamilton stays out again. Ricciardo now right behind the world champion, but where can he get past? Hamilton's pace is now matching Rosberg and Perez, who are on fresh intermediates. What is it about Perez, by the way? Whenever there's a sniff of a podium opportunity he comes up golden. Great stuff. |
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Lap 29 |
Ricciardo staying sensible and staying behind Hamilton. No need to throw the race away with anything stupid. Verstappen catches a wobble through the tunnel and another one through Swimming Pool. Remarkable. Hamilton does a personal best, just a tenth slower than Rosberg on those new inters. |
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Lap 30 |
Ricciardo starting to have a few little looks either side of Hamilton's car. The race leader is still over a pit stop distance ahead of Rosberg, crucially. When that gap starts to come down we may see a pit stop from Mercedes. Slicks for Ericsson! Ultra-soft tyres. Every single pair of eyes will be on Ericsson's sector times now. |
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Lap 31 |
Perez pits for slicks as well. Ballsy call from Force India. This is shaping up to be a great race. Hamilton gets a bit out of shape through the tunnel and Ricciardo thinks about a move but again opts against it. Hamilton is starting to struggle on those tyres. Perez and Button have taken soft tyres. |
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Lap 32 |
Hamilton pits from the lead of the race. Ultra-soft tyres. Can Mercedes get those to the end of the race? Rosberg, Vettel, Hulkenberg and Sainz all pit. Ultra-softs for Rosberg. Softs for Verstappen. Vettel appears to have jumped Rosberg! It's all falling away from the championship leader at the moment. |
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Lap 33 |
Ricciardo pits and the tyres aren't ready!!! Disaster for Red Bull, can he get out ahead of Hamilton? It's going to be tight... Hamilton leads the race! Oh Danny, what's happened? Has Red Bull blown it again? Perez on the soft tyres sets a fastest lap, a 1:29.241. Replays show Hamilton running over the chicane at Swimming Pool on that out lap. The Monaco barriers might as well be painted yellow next year. Magnusen has clouted the wall at Mirabeau. He's going again, though. |
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Lap 34 |
Perez flying! Another fastest lap, a 1:26.781. Ricciardo all over Hamilton through the tunnel but the world champion blocks him. They're approaching traffic. Ricciardo's gone on to super-softs, by the way. |
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Lap 35 |
Hamilton navigates through backmarkers and covers the inside into Ste Devote, Ricciardo is right there but not close enough. This is brilliant. Alonso's fifth! Vettel fastest lap, a 1:25.164. Verstappen has crashed at the top of the hill! "Aghhh, I crashed," says the frustrated teenager. Virtual Safety Car. |
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Lap 36 |
Nasty bang for Verstappen there. Proof that he is still very much an unpolished gem. He's just locked up on the way up the hill. His car is being craned away. |
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Lap 37 |
Virtual Safety Car ends and it may have caught Hamilton out, Ricciardo all over him through the hairpin. Big moment through Portier but Ricciardo catches it. He's not close enough to have a go but Hamilton runs over the chicane at Nouvelle! Ricciardo moves wheel to wheel but Hamilton slams the door shot. Ricciardo waves his hand in frustration. |
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Lap 38 |
"What the f--- was that?" Ricciardo complains. He needs to keep it calm in that lid. From the replays it doesn't look like Hamilton actually moved off the racing line to block, Ricciardo's rear end stepped out on him when he appeared to be moving his front wing alongside Hamilton's rear tyre. Perez is gaining on these two men. He's gained ten seconds in three laps! Five seconds down on Hamilton. |
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Lap 39 |
Fastest lap from Hamilton, a 1:23.979. Rosberg is down in sixth, still appears to be struggling for pace. "Keep your head together," Red Bull tells Ricciardo. "Your faster than him". |
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Lap 40 |
Hamilton has opened up a 1.3s gap now. Red Bull has apparently told Sky there was a miscommunication which led to Ricciardo's botched pit stop. It may have cost him the victory of this race. Hamilton under investigation for that earlier moment with Ricciardo. |
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Lap 41 |
Fastest lap for Vettel, on the soft tyre, a 1:21.726. That's a second quicker than the guys at the front. The top four all have a genuine chance of winning this race. |
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Lap 42 |
Rosberg reeling Alonso in in the battle for fifth, edging ever closer to the gearbox of the McLaren. |
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Lap 43 |
My mind is turning back to last year. Hamilton had fresher tyres than but couldn't get past Vettel, who was on very old tyres and complaining it was like driving on ice. Track position still so, so key here. Ricciardo six tenths behind Hamilton. Perez 10.9s down on the lead. |
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Lap 44 |
Ricciardo seems to be mounting another charge. He's eased off, probably had a moment to calm down inside his helmet, and is ready for another attempt at the lead. Wehrlein is also under investigation. Busy day for the stewards. |
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Lap 45 |
As it stands, this is what the championship looks like: Rosbery 108, Hamilton 82, Ricciardo 66. The stewards confirm no further action will be taken on Hamilton. If you compare it to the Mercedes collision in Spain, Rosberg had no punishment for a similar move to the right, so nice to see a bit of consistency in those decisions. |
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Lap 46 |
Hamilton sets a fastest lap, a 1:19.778, but still has Ricciardo all over his mirrors. Monaco is just awesome, isn't it? |
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Lap 47 |
Great back and forth going on at the front, as Ricciardo does a personal best, a 1:20.167. |
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Lap 48 |
Hamilton does a 1:20.046, Ricciardo a 1:20.140. Fastest lap from Perez, a 1:19.645. He's still ten seconds behind and is keeping Vettel at bay. |
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Lap 49 |
Sauber asks Nasr to let Ericsson. "For what reason? For what reason?" Eventually they come back saying it's "come from the top",. but Nasr is still ahead of Ericsson. "Sounds like there's something wrong with his radio," says Ericsson. Tetchy team debrief coming up at Sauber. |
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Lap 50 |
Another fastest lap from Perez, a 1:19.219. Hamilton's last lap just 0.003s quicker than Ricciardo's lap but they key for Lewis is how many laps he can get from those ultra-softs. |
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Lap 51 |
Calamity for Sauber. Ericsson lunges down the inside of Nasr, who refused to move over earlier, and they contact. Stupidity. Virtual Safety Car deployed. VSC period comes to an end. Ricciardo so close to Hamilton again and gets a stab of DRS. "I see a lot of smoke coming out of the car," complains Nasr. Probably from Monisha Kaltenborn's ears. |
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Lap 52 |
Ricciardo has a look at Hamilton coming down to Nouvelle and the Mercedes driver moves inside and blocks him off. This one could end up in the barriers. Big lock up for Ricciardo through Rascasse. Looks like Hamilton lost momentum coming through the tunnel as he passed backmarkers. |
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Lap 53 |
Ricciardo drops back out of DRS zone, 1.2s behind Hamilton. How many chances will he get to make the pass? Perez has only moved to nine seconds behind Hamilton. Unless there's a lot more to come from the soft tyres, I don't think he's going to have enough for the win unless something happens ahead. |
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Lap 54 |
Looks like someone is giving Nasr an absolute earful down at Sauber. He sheepishly gestures towards the garage, he wants to get away from the glare of the cameras. |
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Lap 55 |
Train of cars behind Alonso. Rosberg 0.5s behind, Hulkenberg 0.7s and Sainz a second down. Ericsson pits to retire at Sauber. Ding, ding, ding. How I would love to be in the Sauber garage right now. |
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Lap 56 |
Blue flags being frantically waved for Wehrlein and Grosjean. Hamilton navigates through. Fastest lap for Vettel, a 1:18.670. Every lap, backmarkers helping and then hindering the race leader. Such fine margins in this one. Ricciardo gets stuck behind a Manor through Rascasse and the final corner. Wehrlein giving Mercedes a hand there.... |
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Lap 57 |
Perez now seven seconds behind. That gap is coming down. Vettel 2.8s behind the Force India driver. Are the top four going to be nose to tail at the end of the race? |
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Lap 58 |
Personal best laps for the top three. Track getting quicker and quicker. Replays show Gutierrez running deep at Rascasse, which could be brake problems. |
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Lap 59 |
Hamilton has done 27 laps on the ultra-softs, Ricciardo 30 on the super-soft tyres. VSC has probably helped both men keep the tyres going. Ricciardo is absolutely flying through Swimming Pool but he undoes all the good work with a big lock up into Rascasse! Reprieve for Hamilton. Vettel navigates through backmarkers. Ten seconds covering the top fuor. Replays show Rosberg passing Alonso at Nouvelle but running over the chicane, and he hands the place back immediately and manages to keep Hulkenberg behind him. Rosberg then locks up at Rascasse and Hulkenberg very nearly gets through a gap on the inside. |
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Lap 60 |
McLaren tells Button there might be rain in the final eight laps! This one just keeps getting better and better. |
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Lap 61 |
Fastest lap from Vettel, a 1:18.423, which shows you the pace in that Ferrari now he's in some clear air. His lap times with Perez have been very similar for a few laps. |
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Lap 62 |
Vettel flying, a 1:18.385 becomes the latest fastest lap. He and Perez have some clear air in front of them now, how much time can they make to the leaders? |
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Lap 63 |
Another fastest lap for Vettel, a 1:18.005. He's 11 seconds off the lead, 1.6s behind Perez. |
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Lap 64 |
If these leaders collide, Perez wins and Alonso (as it stands) takes the podium. |
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Lap 65 |
Perez will be starting to see an awful lot of red amongst all the yachts and beautiful people in his mirrors as Vettel gets closer and closer, but the Ferrari driver runs wide at the top of the hill and just keeps it out of the wall. Personal best lap from Hamilton - a 1:18.654. |
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Lap 66 |
Is Ricciardo starting to struggle with those tyres? He's had them on a bit longer than Hamilton. Or, is he saving for a late charge? He's running out of laps and chances. |
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Lap 67 |
The gap is 1.7s at the front. Rosberg still bottled up behind Alonso. His situation is complicated enormously by the Force India behind him. Attempting a move here is always risk - add in the threat of another car nabbing your position into the mix and it's twice as risky. |
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Lap 68 |
Ricciardo has responded with a personal best and is now 1.3s behind the race leader. Looks like some sort of bag or sheet has blown onto Turn 1. Virtual Safety Car deployed so that can be cleaned away. |
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Lap 69 |
Virtual Safety Car period ends as a marshal runs on and grabs the tarpaulin-like thing from Ste Devote. Hamilton bolts away as the VSC ends, hard to tell if that benefited him or Ricciardo more. |
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Lap 70 |
Ricciardo 1.9s behind the world champion. He needs a big finish here if he wants to be on that top step. Who on earth do you give driver of the day to here? Hamilton might well get it for this drive but Perez, if he gets a podium, surely deserves it. Alonso as well, fifth is absolutely huge for him and McLaren. |
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Lap 71 |
"Some drops of rain on the visor," reports Alonso. You can see a few specks on Hamilton's on-board camera. |
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Lap 72 |
Fastest lap of the race from Hamilton, a 1:17.939. Ricciardo locks up at the top of the hill and has to back off slightly. I wonder what's going through his head right now. Remarkable stat for you - before this race, Hamilton had led just one lap in 2016. |
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Lap 73 |
Ricciardo has dropped to 2.9s behind Hamilton, looks like he may have run deep at Ste Devote on the start of this lap. The gap opens to 3.4s as Hamilton enters the tunnel. |
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Lap 74 |
The laps ticking away for Hamilton. Each one must seem longer and longer when you're leading and there's a threat of rain. Personal best for Alonso, a 1:19.170. Rosberg isn't going to get up to fifth at this rate. Perez has Vettel gaining on him now, there might be enough time for the championship leader to get past. Alonso has opened up a big gap. Mercedes has confirmed Rosberg was struggling with brake temperatures earlier in the race, fascinating to know how long those were an issue for. |
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Lap 75 |
Rosberg 2.2s down on Alonso, in fact, but he does a personal best lap - a 1:18.763, pulling eight tenths back on the McLaren driver. |
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Lap 76 |
The lead at the front now 3.8s. |
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Lap 77 |
Hamilton has started the penultimate lap of the race. A few spots of rain on the camera but surely it's too late in the race for it to be an issue... |
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Lap 78 |
Hamilton crosses the line for the final time in this race. He's now 5.7s up on Ricciardo, he can glide home from here, probably while reflecting on a massive opportunity lost. Hamilton a few corners away from lapping Rosberg but he'll have no desire to get too close to a tetchy fight developing ahead of him. Lewis Hamilton wins the Monaco Grand Prix! He pumps his fist as he crosses the line. Ricciardo comes home second. Perez claims a superb podium for Force India! He's had one in each of his three seasons. The rain is absolutely crashing down now and Alonso and Rosberg still need to finish the race! They are crawling around the circuit. Hulkenberg jumps Rosberg as they approach the line! Hulkenberg steals sixth for Force India! Unbelievable race for the championship leader. Ricciardo absolutely livid on the radio. "Save it," he tells the team. Doubt we'll be seeing that trademark beaming smile any time this afternoon... Ricciardo looks furious on the radio. Shaking his head before he gets the trophy. |
Lap one has started, under that safety car.
