Safety car pitstop for Hamilton hands Rosberg win in Monaco

The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the crown jewels in the Formula One calendar, with the glamour and intrigue attached that you get with holding a major sporting event in the south of France, especially linking on to the Cannes Film Festival.

The weather was the best it has been all weekend, the sun out but with clouds forming over the hill behind the circuit, the same direction the rain came from on Friday, although it doesn’t look like it will rain today.

Following the demotion of Romain Grosjean after his gearbox penalty and the exclusion from qualifying of Carlos Sainz, Jenson Button was promoted to the top ten, near where he thought he was going to qualify.

With a one stop predicted for the race, Hulkenberg, Bottas, Alonso and Stevens would start on the harder soft tyre, although Carlos Sainz starting from the pit lane was on the super soft. Hamilton was slow away from the line on the formation lap, although he then got back past his team mate.

With the lights going out it was Hamilton getting a good start with Vettel being attacked by Kvyat who got a good start and Rosberg nearly hit the wall on the outside of St Devote. Hulkenberg went off at Mirabeau with him being forced into the wall by McLaren, where he then ran over his front wing.

With Hamilton leading Rosberg and Vettel at the end of the first lap, Alonso was put under investigation for the incident. Both Massa and Hulkenberg came in at the end of the first lap for a new front wing. Sainz had made up several positions to 16th. Having stopped, Nico Hulkenberg set the fastest lap of the race, with Alonso running in 11th after the accident with the soft tyres.

Fernando Alonso was given a five second time penalty, which he must serve at the pitstop. With Maldonado slowing, Verstappen hit the back of the Lotus and with a damaged front wing went past at St Devote. It brought out some yellow flags at the chicane. With a brake by wire problem in the Lotus, Maldonado retired the car on lap 7.

With the retirement of Maldonado it elevates Button to 9th and Alonso to 10th in the McLarens.

Hamilton was in the lead by nearly three seconds by lap 12, although only four and a half seconds ahead of the Ferrari. Everyone running similar times in a fairly stagnant time in the race.

Carlos Sainz pitted on lap 13 for the soft tyres.

Struggling with his front brakes, both Rosberg and Vettel started to close in on Hamilton. The team advised him to move his brake balance backwards to save the fronts. Bottas pitted on lap 15, along with Marcus Ericsson in the Sauber, following the lead of Carlos Sainz in two stopping.

Grosjean pitted on lap 18 in the Lotus, changing to the soft tyres which Carlos Sainz showed that they have pace in them. The leaders came up on the back of the back markers – the Manor Marussias going a lap down.

Nasr also pitted in the second Sauber, while Rosberg lost out going through the traffic going four seconds down on his team mate. Hamilton continued to open the gap to his team mate to four and a half seconds. Vettel had maintained the gap to Rosberg.

Still struggling with his brakes, Hamilton was told that the situation was critical on lap 26, early in the race for it to be critical. Rosberg started to pull Hamilton in again with the Britain going through traffic.

Kvyat pitted on lap 29 taking on the soft tyres coming out behind Jenson Button and splitting the two McLarens. Lewis Hamilton who had made his way through the fist of the traffic actually increased his lead to nearly eight seconds. Vettel had also closed in on the Mercedes.

Verstappen also pitted from the lower end of the top ten, it was slow pit stop with a problem on the right rear. He lost over half a minute in the Toro Rosso, and came out behind Valtteri Bottas.

Hamilton on lap 32 started to close in on another group of cars to lap, and lost a little time behind Will Stevens through the end of the lap after locking up in the Swimming Pool. He reported that his tyres were feeling good, with him edging the gap to Raikkonen to about a pit stop. Hulkenberg pitted for the second time, along with Alonso who had to serve his five second penalty. He got out ahead of Felipe Nasr in the Sauber, keeping hold of his 9th place.

Stuck in traffic, Rosberg was closing in again on Hamilton on lap 35. With Kvyat having pitting he was held up a little before Jenson Pitted himself on lap 36. Vettel also pitted from 3rd in the Ferrari for a set of the soft tyres, Ricciardo did the same behind the Ferrari. Kvyat stayed ahead of his Red Bull team mate.

Rosberg pitted to cover Vettel a lap later, a 3.4 second stop, with Raikkonen also pitting. Rosberg just made it out ahead of Vettel. Raikkonen came out ahead of Daniel Ricciardo for 5th place. Hamilton pitted on lap 38, but was far enough in the lead for there not to be a problem – Rosberg wasn’t even on the start straight.

Roberto Merhi was put under investigation for crossing the white line on the exit of the pitlane. Kimi also went straight on at the chicane, and lost time to Kvyat in front, and allowed Ricciardo get closer to the Ferrari.

The order on lap 41 still Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, Kvyat, then Raikkonen and Ricciardo. Perez 7th followed by Button in 8th and Alonso in 9th for McLaren.

Lap 42 and the yellow flag were brought out at St Devote for Fernando Alonso who went straight on. The car stopped and didn’t get going again, meaning another retirement for the Spaniard. Bottas had been elevated to 11th, with Verstappen closing in on him. Grosjean was just up the road in the last points paying position.

Verstappen pitted for the second time on lap 48, changing to the super soft tyre, taking the pressure off the Williams on the cusp of the top ten. Bottas had got onto the back of the Lotus by lap 50.

By Lap 56 and Verstappen had got ahead of his team mate, with Sainz getting out of his way, and then quickly got Bottas while Vettel went through the blue flags. He had a look at trying to overtake the Ferrari as well. Bottas pitted for the super soft tyres on lap 58 dropping him back to 15th. Williams now in 15th and 16th. Those that had pitted looking to close in those who haven’t by the end of the race – Williams copying the approach by Toro Rosso.

With Raikkonen closing in on the Lotus, Verstappen was hustling the Ferrari, but wasn’t able to pass while the Lotus was being lapped. Verstappen stuck to the rear of Lotus. Verstappen says 11th.

In clear air, Raikkonen started closing in on Kvyat. Verstappen couldn’t get around the Lotus, with Sainz closing in on the pair of them. Verstappen clipped the back of Romain Grosjean going into St Devote. The Dutchman went straight on at the first corner hitting the barrier very heavily, bringing out the virtual safety car, then the safety car. Verstappen was fine, getting out of the car.

A number of cars pitted including Massa, Button, Perez and Lewis Hamilton from the lead. He lost a little time behind the Sauber coming into the pits as well. Rosberg and Vettel didn’t stop. Ricciardo also stopped. Hamilton and Vettel were side by side going up the hill, with the Ferrari taking second place though Casino Square.

It took a while for the lapped cars overtake with the track clear on lap 69, but the race was still under safety car.

The safety car came in at the end of lap 70, with Vettel worried about his tyres against Lewis Hamilton on new super softs. It stayed as you ere through the first corner, with Rosberg pulling away from Vettel and Hamilton all over the back of the Ferrari. Hamilton wasn’t close enough into the chicane. At the end of the lap Rosberg was two seconds up the road from the Ferrari. Ricciardo overtook Raikkonen, of which the Finn wasn’t happy after he went down the inside at Mirabeau.

Ricciardo overtook Kvyat into the chicane, the team released him to attack the cars in front. The Australian closed in quickly on the back of Lewis Hamilton, with the gap to the lead increased to over four seconds.

With two laps remaining Vettel increased the gap slightly to Hamilton, with Ricciardo hounding the back of the Mercedes. Ricciardo didn’t get a penalty for the move on Raikkonen, meaning it was definitely for position.

The position stayed the same at the front, although Ricciardo dropped behind Kvyat to give him the back. Button got his first points of the season in 8th.

1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 78 1h49m18.420s 2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 78 -8’01.379 3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 78 -7’59.812 4 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull/Renault 78 -7’53.900 5 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull/Renault 78 -7’52.257 6 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 78 -7’51.519 7 Sergio Perez Force India/Mercedes 78 -7’50.852 8 Jenson Button McLaren/Honda 78 -7’49.802 9 Felipe Nasr Sauber/Ferrari 78 -7’42.245 10 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso/Renault 78 -7’40.809 11 Nico Hulkenberg Force India/Mercedes 78 -7’39.633 12 Romain Grosjean Lotus/Mercedes 78 -7’37.450 13 Marcus Ericsson Sauber/Ferrari 78 -7’34.706 14 Valtteri Bottas Williams/Mercedes 78 -7’20.076 15 Felipe Massa Williams/Mercedes 77 1 Lap 16 Roberto Merhi Marussia/Ferrari 76 2 Laps 17 Will Stevens Marussia/Ferrari 76 2 Laps – Max Verstappen Toro Rosso/Renault 62 Collision – Fernando Alonso McLaren/Honda 41 Gearbox – Pastor Maldonado Lotus/Mercedes 5 Brakes

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