MONACO GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS
Vettel pitted five laps later than Raikkonen and emerged just ahead of his team mate. It was a strategy that worked elsewhere in the pit lane. Raikkonen didn’t have the pace to answer Vettel, and had to focus on defense rather than attack.
The championship leader was able to build up a small gap, before a safety car paused the race and bunched up the field.
An opportunistic move from the returning Jenson Button saw him collide with Pascal Wehrlein just 18 laps before the end of the race. The Sauber ended the race on its side and against the barrier, whilst Button retired with damaged suspension.
The incident brought out the safety car as the marshals cleared Wehrlein’s car, and then his team mate’s car. Marcus Ericsson was overtaking the safety car to unlap himself when he collided with the wall.
On the restart, Vettel made a perfect get away, though Raikkonen was also able to pull away from Daniel Ricciardo behind him, who survived hitting the wall.
Ricciardo also benefited from a late pit stop. He jumped up to third past team mate Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas. The strategic mistake left Verstappen frustrated, and though he tried to challenge Bottas, he ended the race fifth.
The final few laps saw a series of challenges at the back of the points. Stoffel Vandoorne looked set to take McLaren’s first win of 2017 when a move from Sergio Perez saw him hit the wall at the same place as Ericsson.
Perez was also witness to Daniil Kvyat’s retirement. The pair came together as Perez tried to find a way past, ending Kvyat’s race and Perez’s recovery from an early pit stop. Perez was able to get back to the pits, receiving a new front wing and heading back out to take the fastest lap of the race.
Kvyat’s team mate Carlos Sainz took sixth, ahead of championship contender Lewis Hamilton. A poor qualifying saw Hamilton start out of position, but the Brit was able to make up places around the tight circuit.
Both Haas drivers took points for the first time this season, with Romain Grosjean finishing eighth and Kevin Magnussen 10th. Williams’ Felipe Massa split the pair.
Jolyon Palmer finished 11th, with the Force India duo the only other finishers. Esteban Ocon, who suffered a puncture, took 12th, ahead of Perez.
Nico Hulkenberg was the first driver to retire from the race as smoke poured from the back of his Renault after only 15 laps. The team said it was a gearbox problem rather than engine.
Lance Stroll retired from his first Monaco GP. The teenager had been complaining about cold brakes and tyres during the safety car period, saying he would crash if something didn’t change. He didn’t crash, though did come into the pits a few laps later due to a brake problem.
RESULTS:
1. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 25 Points
2. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / +18 Points
3. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / + 15 Points
4. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / +12 Points
5. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / 10 Points
6. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / + 8 Points
7. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 6 Points
8. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / + 4 Point
9. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 2 Points
10. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / + 1 Point
11. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain
12. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France
13. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
14. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia / DNF - Collision*
15. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / DNF - Brakes*
RETIRED - Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium / Collision
RETIRED - Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden / Collision
RETIRED – Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain / Collision**
RETIRED - Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany / Collision
RETIRED - Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / Gearbox
* - Qualified as finished
** - Notes Jenson Button is replacing Fernando Alonso during the Monaco GP weekend.
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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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