Incredible Ricciardo takes against odds Monaco win

Daniel Ricciardo has overcome an ailing Renault engine to seal an incredible Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix win.

The Australian led every lap of the race, and managed an engine which dropped power inside of the opening 30 laps of the race, to take the flag ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

Completing the podium was Lewis Hamilton, the front three running nose to tail for the second half of the race before Ricciardo eased clear following a late Virtual Safety Car.

Ricciardo was able to bring his tyres back up to temperature quicker than his rivals in the latter stages, opening a gap that was big enough to allow the Red Bull driver to control the race to the flag.

It saw him become the third Australian to win the Monaco Grand Prix after Sir Jack Brabham and Mark Webber.

Ricciardo held the lead in the short run to the first corner, edging left to protect the line against Vettel at the start before heading the field up Beau Rivage on the opening lap.

The Red Bull driver then controlled the pace until Hamilton was the first front runner to pit, at which point Ricciardo increased the pace at the front.

He stopped on lap 16, boxing a lap after second placed Vettel and rejoining comfortably in the lead.

Hamilton had rejoined behind Esteban Ocon, though the Mercedes powered Force India soon stepped aside and allowed the factory car through without delaying it unduly.

Buried in the field, Max Verstappen gained two places on the opening lap before working his way through traffic in the opening laps.

The Dutchman stopped on lap 47, bolting on a set of ultrasoft tyres and rejoining in 11th before working his way up to ninth at the finish.

Fernando Alonso was the race’s first retirement, the Spaniard coming to a halt at Saint Devote after 54 laps to draw the first Virtual Safety Car.

The race then ran green until Lap 72 when an apparent brake failure saw Charles Leclerc collide with the rear of Brendon Hartley’s Toro Rosso.

The clash forced both out of the race, and a nervy period for Ricciardo out front as the laps wound down.

For Ricciardo, only the fastest lap escaped him in a weekend that was otherwise perfect; topping every session and leading every lap of the race.

Behind the podium finishers was Kimi Raikkonen in fourth who survived a charging Valtteri Bottas.

Esteban Ocon was sixth ahead of Pierre Gasly, with Nico Hulkenberg, Verstappen and Carlos Sainz who rounded out the top 10.

Result: Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix

Championship Standings