Sebastian Vettel took advantage of an inspired strategy call to overcome Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen to win the Monaco Grand Prix following a frantic finish.
The championship leader sat behind pole-sitter Raikkonen for the opening 40 laps of the race after failing to make the jump on the Finn at the start.
However, a decision to run Vettel on a longer first stint saw him overcut Raikkonen after the pit stops, which paved the way to victory.
Vettel suffered a brief scare when the Safety Car was called with 18 laps remaining for a spectacular crash involving Sauber’s Pascal Wehrlein.
McLaren returnee Jenson Button pitched the Sauber driver into a rollover at Portier after touching wheels while trying to dive underneath the German.
Wehrlein escaped the incident unharmed once extracted from his car that was up against the barriers.
Vettel held his nerve on the restart to take the chequered flag from Raikkonen, while Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo claimed the final place of podium.
However, Ricciardo’s run to his second podium of the season was not without drama.
The Australian spent the first stint of the race in fifth behind the Ferraris, Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) and Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen.
Red Bull elected to mirror Vettel’s strategy which proved crucial as it allowed the four-time grand prix winner clear air to overcut both Bottas and Verstappen.
Ricciardo was lucky to make it to the finish after brushing the barriers following the restart, while being chased by Bottas and Verstappen.
In the end, Bottas was left to settle for fourth ahead of Verstappen, while Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz finished sixth.
Championship contender Lewis Hamilton managed to recover to seventh after his early qualifying exit saw him start from 13th on the grid.
The top 10 was completed by Romain Grosjean (Haas F1), Felipe Massa (Williams) and Kevin Magnussen (Haas F1).
The final laps produced a couple of notable incidents when Force India’s Sergio Perez made contact with Daniil Kvyat at the Rascasse.
McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne and Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson also found the barriers at St Devote, while Lance Stroll (Williams) and Nico Hulkenberg (gearbox) retired from the race.
Result: Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix
| Position | Driver | Car | Laps | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 78 | |
| 2 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 78 | 3.145s |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull/Renault | 78 | 3.745s |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 78 | 5.517s |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Renault | 78 | 6.199s |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso/Renault | 78 | 12.038s |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 78 | 15.801s |
| 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas/Ferrari | 78 | 18.150s |
| 9 | Felipe Massa | Williams/Mercedes | 78 | 19.445s |
| 10 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas/Ferrari | 78 | 21.443s |
| 11 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 78 | 22.737s |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | Force India/Mercedes | 78 | 23.725s |
| 13 | Sergio Perez | Force India/Mercedes | 78 | 39.089s |
| 14 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso/Renault | 71 | Collision |
| 15 | Lance Stroll | Williams/Mercedes | 71 | 7 Laps |
| DNF | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren/Honda | 66 | Spun off |
| DNF | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber/Ferrari | 63 | Spun off |
| DNF | Jenson Button | McLaren/Honda | 57 | Collision |
| DNF | Pascal Wehrlein | Sauber/Ferrari | 57 | Collision |
| DNF | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 15 | Gearbox |
Championship Standings
| Position | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | 129 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | 104 |
| 3 | Valtteri Bottas | 75 |
| 4 | Kimi Raikkonen | 67 |
| 5 | Daniel Ricciardo | 52 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | 45 |
| 7 | Sergio Perez | 34 |
| 8 | Carlos Sainz | 25 |
| 9 | Felipe Massa | 20 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | 19 |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | 14 |
| 12 | Romain Grosjean | 9 |
| 13 | Kevin Magnussen | 5 |
| 14 | Pascal Wehrlein | 4 |
| 15 | Daniil Kvyat | 4 |
| 16 | Jolyon Palmer | 0 |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | 0 |
| 18 | Marcus Ericsson | 0 |
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | 0 |
| 20 | Antonio Giovinazzi | 0 |
| 21 | Stoffel Vandoorne | 0 |
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