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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Michael Butler

Monaco Grand Prix: F1 – as it happened

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes GP leads the field round the hairpin at the start of the race.
Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel fly round a hairpin bend. Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Summary

And so, in the most bizarre circumstances, Nico Rosberg becomes the fourth driver after Graham Hill, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna to win three straight races at Monaco. But all the attention will be on Hamilton, who had a 21-second lead before the safety car was deployed after Verstappen’s crash, before Mercedes decided to make that senseless pit stop.

Rosberg looks a little embarrassed on the podium as he goes up for the anthems. There is a quiet handshake as a devastated-looking Lewis Hamilton enters stage right. He walks straight off after, as Rosberg sprays the champagne.

“I know it was a lot of luck today, Lewis drove brilliantly and deserved the win. But that’s racing,” says Rosberg.

Thanks for reading, and for your emails and tweets. It’s been a hoot. Bye!

Updated

Toto Wolff has also been talking:

“How about Mr Wolff apologising to the British fans?” emails somebody named nothing but Ernie. Hi Ernie.

Updated

A couple of differing opinions here.

“Nico Rosberg hasn’t had a huge slice of luck,” emails Simon Feuerbach, “he as his crew didn’t make a really silly mistake. That’s something completely different. If you make mistakes, you cannot win, if you don’t, you can.”

Matt Smith, meanwhile, doesn’t hold back. “This is supposed to be the most prestigious race, the most ‘exciting’. This race is why people think F1 is boring. Because Monaco is DULL. What woke us up? A battle for 10th that ended up with a crash ON LAP 64. We had a safety car for a bit and then what? NOTHING. What a bag of bollocks.”

Updated

Niki Lauda: “It’s clear that the team has cost Hamilton the win today. This is for me unacceptable.”

Updated

NICO ROSBERG WINS THE MONACO GRAND PRIX!

Lap 78: “I’m really sorry about that Lewis, mate,” says Mercedes race engineer. Radio silence in reply. Angry much?

Lap 77: Rosberg is bringing it home. What a race this has been. Mercedes tweeting about Hamilton here.

Lap 76: Mercedes are giving Hamilton a warning over Ricciardo. “Please stop talking to me,” replies Hamilton. You can tell he is absolutely fuming at this situation.

Lap 75: Ricciardo is making gains on Hamilton in third. The Aussie is absolutely flying, and if there is any contact between Hamilton-Vettel, could he snatch an unlikely podium?

Lap 74: “Impossible to pass” says Hamilton as he still trails Vettel in second.

Lap 73: Ricciardo making huge gains now, he comes down the inside of Raikkonen and clips the Finn! Raikkonen is furious over the radio, but he is powerless to watch as Ricciardo races off. And then Ricciardo passes Kyvat into fourth! Wow! He pitted late and his tyres are much fresher.

Lap 72: Rosberg meanwhile has opened up a two second gap in front. It is his grand prix to lose now. He’s had a huge slice of luck!

Lap 71: And we’re racing! Hamilton is all over Vettel. Can he get close enough to the German to use DRS.

Updated

Lap 70: The safety car will finish at the end of this lap. Vettel’s tyres have cooled right down, Hamilton will be all over him like a rash with those softer tyres.

“This is like sending swimmers to swim with weight on their legs,” Vettel says over the radio.

Lap 69: That really was a shocking mistake to pit Hamilton. Mercedes will come in for a lot of heat after the race, whatever happens.

Lap 68: The safety car is still out. Hamilton is on the faster tyres remember, and so he might be able to pass Vettel and Rosberg if/when the safety car buzzes off.

Lap 67: “What’s happening guys? I’ve lost this race haven’t I?” asks Hamilton down the radio.

“Why change tyres at Monaco with twelve laps to go? Error?” emails Russell Miller.

Yes! He could definitely have got to the end.

Lap 66: Hamilton has lost the lead! He pitted top change to the supersoft tyres with the safety car out, but Rosberg and Vettel come screaming through. Rosberg leads the race! He didn’t need to pit, surely? Hamilton is in THIRD, behind Rosberg and Vettel!

Lap 65: More on that crash: thankfully Verstappen is OK! Grosjean clipped Verstappen, and the youngster lost one of his front tyres, with sparks flying out and like a dart crashing into a board, his car spears the soft crash barriers. He must have been travelling at 60/70mph but thankfully he’s ok! Verstappen walks away unharmed. Phew!

Updated

Lap 64: Massive crash for Verstappen! Ohhhh that was horrible! Safety car comes out, will that affect Hamilton’s 21-second lead? The answer is yes.

Lap 63:

Lap 62: This is fascinating between Grosjean and Verstappen. The Frenchman is holding his ground … for now.

Lap 61: Verstappen tries his luck on the hairpin at turn 6, coming round the outside, but Grosjean senses him and blocks him off! Oooo, so nearly there.

Lap 60: “If I stay with Vettel it’s easier for me to overtake,” says Verstappen. Vettel is in third, of course, and a lap ahead, but the trio of Vettel, Grosjean, and Verstappen are running nose to tail.

Lap 59: Grosjean is told that he is racing Verstappen “who is very fast because he is on supersoft.” Grosjean is in tenth with the teenager in pursuit.

Lap 58: Raikkonen is 1.5secs behind Kyvat. His tyres are nine laps fresher than the Russian’s. Can he close?

With a lead of 14 seconds Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is on easy street.
With a lead of 14 seconds over team-mate Nico Rosberg, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is on easy street. Photograph: Robert Pratta/Reuters

Lap 57: Mercedes are in complete control, for a change. But remember we could still have a safely car which would mix it up a bit.

Lap 56: Verstappen passes Bottas, who is really struggling now.

Updated

Lap 55: Blue flags are raised, and Raikkonen isn’t happy, telling his team in no uncertain terms what he thinks. F*** etc.

Lap 54: “I’m losing a lot of control in the rear,” Bottas announces over the radio. Williams tell him that he should keep going until the end of the race, but acknowledge it will be difficult. “We will gain nothing from pitting.”

Lap 53: Button is closing on Bottas, he’s down to just over six seconds behind.

Lap 52: Pat Symonds, Williams’ chief technical officer, said that his team are just trying to hold track position. Bottas is in 11th, don’t hold your position Valtteri, get those points!

Lap 51: Perez is told that he needs to save fuel “at every braking opportunity.” Button is just shy of seven seconds behind Perez in seventh.

Lap 50: Bottas is really pushing Grosjean in tenth. Can the Frenchman hold on to his point position?

Lap 49:

Lap 48: Verstappen makes his second stop. He is back in 13th place when he reappears on the track.

Lap 47: Merhi passes Stevens, who appears to have a mechanical problem. The issue with Alonso, by the way, was with his gearbox, and he was told to switch the car off.

Lap 46: The track temperature has gone down about five degrees. That will be interesting to see what effect that has on grip.

Lap 45: Hamilton is now over 10 seconds ahead of Rosberg. He’s got this one in the bag. Rosberg is just 2 seconds ahead of Vettel.

Lap 44: Verstappen is gaining on Bottas in 13th! I still find it baffling that the Dutchman/boy is 17! Doesn’t make me feel a whole lot better about not being able to drive.

Lap 43: Alonso is out of the race! He appears to just lock up in section one, and simply grinds to a halt on the edge of the track. His day is over! Nightmare! Double yellow flags out for the rest of the drivers.

Updated

Lap 42: Massa makes his second stop. All the cars have been in the pit lane now.

Lap 41: Rosberg sets a new fastest lap to give him some breathing room from the chasing Vettel.

Lap 40: Hamilton pits from the lead and comes back out in front. He’s in complete control, still seven seconds ahead of Rosberg.

McLaren Honda's Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Sauber's Felipe Nasr negotiate the chicane.
McLaren Honda’s Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Sauber’s Felipe Nasr negotiate the chicane. Photograph: Boris Horvat/AFP/Getty Images

Lap 39: Raikkonen comes out ahead of Ricciardo. He loses his way on the Nouvelle chicane though, cutting right across it. He’s the big winner here! Merhi, meanwhile, is under investigation for crossing the line at the pit exit. This is the half-way stage, 78 laps in total.

Updated

Lap 38: Button, Ricciardo, Perez and Rosberg and Raikkonen all pit. It’s getting very busy in that pit lane. Who will gain an advantage here?

Lap 37:

Lap 36: “Why did we have that five-second penalty?” asks Alonso. Hulkenburg, mate. OBVIOUSLY.

Lap 35: Raikkonen is still putting the pressure on Ricciardo in fourth.

Lap 34: Button shouts that he’s struggling with his tyres. He wants to stop. Currently running in about a second ahead of Kyvat, who has already made his stop, of course.

Lap 33: Alonso pits, and he is forced to take a five-second penalty for that crash with Hulkenburg. But he holds onto ninth place, ahead of Nasr! He’s got open road in front of him, all in all not a bad stop that!

Updated

Lap 32: Rosberg is pulling away from Vettel, the gap is up to nearly two seconds.

Updated

Lap 31: Raikkonen is closing on Ricciardo in fifth. Less than a second behind.

30 min: Awful pit stop for Verstappen! That took 31 secs, with problems towards the rear of the car! He’s back in 13th place.

Updated

Lap 29: Kyvat pits and changes to those soft tyres. Re-emerges in ninth position.

Lap 28: “I lost a lot of time in that traffic”, says Hamilton. But actually with Rosberg and Vettel now struggling with the boys at the back, it is helping the Brit, he is 7.8 secs ahead!

Lap 27: This was the lap that people expected that most drivers would make their stop. Ricciardo, running in fifth, says that his rear tyres are starting to wane. He’ll surely be in the pit shortly.

Lap 26: Hamilton has now started to run into traffic as he begins to lap the back of the grid. He passes a Sauber in the tunnel, and raises his hand in acknowledgement! Ha!

Lap 25: Ericsson is coming under intense pressure in 14th, with Sainz right up him, about 0.4sec behind. I would expect Sainz to pass him with those soft tyres.

Updated

Lap 24: Hamilton is the first to set a sub 1min20sec lap. Remember the lap record in Monaco is 1min 14.44 sec, set by Michael Schumacher in 2004.

Lap 23: Hamilton sets a new fastest lap.

Lap 22: Grosjean is struggling in 12th on the prime tyres, according to Bottas’ radio.

Lap 21: Mercedes to Rosberg on the radio – “Important that you start closing the gap to Lewis, just in case there is a safety car.”

Lap 20: The drivers are not going full-throttle here. Many are more concerned with holding their position, saving their tyres and getting to their pit stop.

Lap 19: Grosjean and Nasr both pit. Nasr stays ahead in 11th.

Lap 18: Hamilton retains a three second lead over Rosberg.

Here’s a email from Mark Wymer. “I got my license four days before my daughter was born after a taking a four day intensive course - it should have been five but the instructor’s car was broken for one of them! Can’t say I wasn’t nervous driving to the hospital with heavily pregnant wife and then home again with wife and baby, but all’s well that ends well, right? Fingers crossed for you!”

Lap 17: Carlos Sainz is up to 15th, those soft tyres appear to be working. That will be very interesting for the rest of the teams, who may well follow suit soon.

Lap 16: Hulkenburg continues with his good work from the back of the grid. He’s overtaken Merhi.

Lap 15: Bottas and Ericsson also come into the pit lane.

Lap 14: There is a substantial gap opening up between the top three, and the Red Bulls in fourth and fifth.

“What can I do to save these brakes. I’m having to drive so slow right now!” says Hamilton over the radio.

Lap 13: Carlos Sainz has come in to change on the soft tyres. The track temperature is warming up so it could be a smart move, although he probably won’t make it to the end of the race on those softies.

Lap 12: In case you missed it, Alonso has indeed been handed a five-second penalty for that incident with Maldonado. The Spaniard thought he passed legitimately, which of course, he didn’t.

Lap 11: Alonso is up to tenth, and Button up to ninth with Maldonado retiring.

Lap 10: Hamilton’s front left brake is getting a little warm, and Mercedes ask him to “manage it.” It’s much hotter out there than in any of the practices.

Lap 9: Hamilton has stretched his lead to three seconds. This is looking ominous for Rosberg, who remains 1.7 seconds ahead of Vettel.

Updated

Lap 8: Yellow flags come out, as officials creep out onto the track to retrieve some debris. It’s only a brief delay, though, and we’re back into it.

Lap 7: And there it is, Maldonado retires. He’s had a miserable run here: retired in 2012, 2013, did not start in 2014, and retires again today.

Lap 6: Verstappen passes Maldonado to gain eighth position. Maldonado is having severe braking problems which is only going to get worse. With these chicanes, this could be very dangerous!

Updated

Lap 5: The top five is as it was at the start.

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Mercedes
2. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes-Mercedes
3. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari-Ferrari
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull-Renault
5. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull-Renault

Lap 4: I stand mistaken, Hulkenburg is still out there despite the crash, but he has to start at the back of the grid. He has just set a new fastest lap though.

Lap 3: Hamilton is now 1.7 secs ahead of Rosberg, out of DRS range. The DRS is located along the main straight, but with no traffic ahead of him, Hamilton is flying!

Lap 2: Massa is switching to soft compound tyres and he needs a new front wing after having a collision with Maldonado. Alonso, meanwhile, is under investigation for potentially causing that Hulkenburg crash.

Lap 1: Hamilton and Rosberg get away cleanly, with Vettel in hot pursuit. That first corner is so dirty, but all drivers hold their nerve. Hulkenburg’s race meanwhile is over, after Alonso, who is up to 11th, comes up the inside and sends Hulkenburg crashing into the wall.

Lewis Hamilton of Britain leads as the drivers take the first corner.
Lewis Hamilton of Britain leads as the drivers take the first corner. Photograph: Max Rossi/Reuters

Updated

LIGHTS OUT! We’re off!

The drivers are out on their formation lap. We are a couple of minutes away here!

We’re expecting a one-stop race for most drivers, around lap 27, with nearly all starting on the soft tyres. Alonso, Hulkenberg, Stevens, Bottas and Merhi are the exception with that.

It’s gloriously sunny, around 19°C, and that’s about 35°C on the track. There could well be some rain later, there are clouds in the distance.

It is fair to say that Mercedes are very worried about Vettel. He has started third on the grid twice before and on both occasions managed to climb to second. Being a narrow circuit, overtaking is much more difficult that normal, and Mercedes will look to control this from the front. Watch out for Vettel though.

“Monaco is 50% racing, 50% glamour”, chirps a sunglassed Flavio Briatore on the grid. He’s not wrong…

Cristiano Ronaldo and model Cara Delevingne
Cristiano Ronaldo and model Cara Delevingne. Photograph: DAVID NIVI/SI/REX Shutterstock/DAVID NIVI/SI/REX Shutterstock

Updated

Thank you for your warm words/words that unnerve me.

“Yup, Monday started driving, licence by Friday afternoon, all paid for by Royal Mail, it can be done, good luck!”, emails Virgin.

How they line up on the grid today… remember this is Lewis Hamilton’s first pole at Monaco in nine attempts! Grosjean received a five-place penalty for a gearbox change and he starts in 15th, Carlos Sainz starts from the pit lane after failing to stop to have his car weighed.

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Mercedes
2. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes-Mercedes
3. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari-Ferrari
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull-Renault
5. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull-Renault
6. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari-Ferrari
7. Sergio Perez, Force India-Mercedes
8. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus-Mercedes
9. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso-Renault
10. Jenson Button, McLaren-Honda
11. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India-Mercedes
12. Felipe Massa, Williams-Mercedes
13. Fernando Alonso, McLaren-Honda
14. Felipe Nasr, Sauber-Ferrari
15. Romain Grosjean, Lotus-Mercedes
16. Valtteri Bottas, Williams-Mercedes
17. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber-Ferrari
18. Will Stevens, Manor Marussia-Ferrari
19. Roberto Merhi, Manor Marussia-Ferrari
Pit lane
Carlos Sainz Jr Toro Rosso-Renault

Preamble

It may or may not surprise you that I can’t drive. But I’m going to learn. Honest. Next week in fact – I’m doing one of these week-long intensive courses; the first time I will get behind the wheel of a car will be on Monday morning and I am taking my test on the Friday. It’s a dangerous strategy, sure, but I just want to get it over and done with: six hours of driving a day, and hopefully by the end of it, I’ll be legally careering along dual carriageways and reversing into supermarket car park spaces. Bliss.

I am taking one precaution for next week though: I’m going home. Home home, you know, back to the family one. Away from the hustle and bustle of London, from the shouting cabbies and cyclists that run red lights, and back to the quiet, boring, suburban streets where I spent my youth. Because I figure that if I already know the roads I’m driving along, I’ll be a better driver (?!). Maybe.

Monaco is home to a host of Formula One drivers, past and present. Among them, Nico Rosberg is perhaps the most native – he actually grew up in the principality, his father Keke won the race 32 years ago, and this year, he is aiming to become only the fourth driver after Graham Hill, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna to win three straight races at Monaco.

It’s very, very special for me. This is where I’ve grown up, it’s my home, and winning the Monaco Grand Prix is the highlight of any racing driver’s career and for me a childhood dream. It being my home makes it all the more special, unbelievable. Nico Rosberg in 2013.

Rosberg starts second on the grid today, behind Lewis Hamilton, but you get the feeling that represents one of the best chances he’ll have this season to eclipse the British driver and close the gap in the drivers’ championship. After all, it’s his manor.

Lights out: 1pm in London, 2pm in Monaco

Updated

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