F1 - Monaco Grand Prix - May 29th 2016

 
Lewis Hamilton wins after delay for Daniel Ricciardo

By Lawrence Barretto
http://www.autosport.com

Lewis Hamilton clinched his first Formula 1 victory of the 2016 season after pitstop heartbreak for Daniel Ricciardo in a thrilling rain-hit Monaco Grand Prix.

The reigning world champion's Mercedes finished seven seconds clear of polesitter Ricciardo in the Red Bull with Force India's Sergio Perez completing the podium.

Overnight rain continued throughout the morning in Monaco with conditions sufficiently treacherous that the race was started under the safety car for the first time in its history.

After seven laps, the safety car was called in - a few laps after Hamilton had said on team radio that conditions were good enough to get under way - and Ricciardo pulled away in the lead, ahead of Nico Rosberg and Hamilton.

It became clear Hamilton was the faster of the two Mercedes, with Rosberg struggling with brake temperatures, so the team instructed the German to let Hamilton past.

Hamilton set off in chase of Ricciardo and although the track was drying out, he chose to stay out on full wets when Ricciardo pitted for intermediates and therefore inherited the lead.

Ricciardo caught Hamilton quickly and retook the lead when the Mercedes pitted for the ultra-soft at the end of lap 31 of 78.

The Australian pitted next time around, but a miscommunication meant the tyres were not ready when he reached the pitbox.

Eventually, the team fitted super-softs and got him out, but as he exited the pits Hamilton swept around the outside to retake the lead.

Ricciardo closed on Hamilton as they went through the tunnel with the Mercedes cutting the chicane and then bullishly blocking his rival as he came under attack on the outside on the run to Tabac.
Ricciardo waved his hand in frustration but the stewards decided to take no further action after investigating the incident.

Hamilton then absorbed pressure from Ricciardo to keep the lead and secure his 44th career victory and first since he clinched his third world title in last year's United States GP.

Perez jumped to third with well-timed tyre changes and then resisted heavy pressure from Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari to give Force India its first podium of 2016.

Vettel's team-mate Kimi Raikkonen retired early on when he crashed at Loews, blocking Romain Grosjean as he tried to rejoin and then pulling off at the exit of the tunnel with his front wing lodged underneath the car.

Fernando Alonso finished a brilliant fifth place with Nico Hulkenberg stealing sixth off a low-key Rosberg on the final lap.

That means Hamilton has cut the gap to Rosberg in the championship to 24 points.

Carlos Sainz Jr, Jenson Button and Felipe Massa completed the top 10.

Sauber asked Felipe Nasr to cede position to team-mate Marcus Ericsson but the Brazilian questioned the decision.

Ericsson then tried a move at Rascasse and the two cars collided, resulting in both retiring soon afterwards.

Max Verstappen, winner of the previous race in Spain, fought his way up into the points after starting from the pitlane but crashed at Massenet - his third crash of the weekend.

It was a tough race for Renault with Jolyon Palmer crashing when he lost grip on the pits straight kink as the race began and Kevin Magnussen hitting the barrier at Mirabeau.

Magnussen had previously collided with Daniil Kvyat at Rascasse, with Kvyat later retiring, having been a lap down after suffering a problem with his steering wheel at the start.

RESULTS - 78 LAPS:
PosDriverCarGap
1Lewis HamiltonMercedes1h59m29.133s
2Daniel RicciardoRed Bull/Renault7.252s
3Sergio PerezForce India/Mercedes13.825s
4Sebastian VettelFerrari15.846s
5Fernando AlonsoMcLaren/Honda1m25.076s
6Nico HulkenbergForce India/Mercedes1m32.999s
7Nico RosbergMercedes1m33.290s
8Carlos SainzToro Rosso/Ferrari1 Lap
9Jenson ButtonMcLaren/Honda1 Lap
10Felipe MassaWilliams/Mercedes1 Lap
11Esteban GutierrezHaas/Ferrari1 Lap
12Valtteri BottasWilliams/Mercedes1 Lap
13Romain GrosjeanHaas/Ferrari2 Laps
14Pascal WehrleinManor/Mercedes2 Laps
15Rio HaryantoManor/Mercedes4 Laps
-Marcus EricssonSauber/FerrariCollision
-Felipe NasrSauber/FerrariCollision
-Max VerstappenRed Bull/RenaultSpun off
-Kevin MagnussenRenaultSpun off
-Daniil KvyatToro Rosso/FerrariCollision
-Kimi RaikkonenFerrariSpun off
-Jolyon PalmerRenaultSpun off

DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP
PosDriverPoints
1Nico Rosberg106
2Lewis Hamilton82
3Daniel Ricciardo66
4Kimi Raikkonen61
5Sebastian Vettel60
6Max Verstappen38
7Felipe Massa37
8Valtteri Bottas29
9Sergio Perez23
10Daniil Kvyat22
11Romain Grosjean22
12Fernando Alonso18
13Carlos Sainz16
14Nico Hulkenberg14
15Kevin Magnussen6
16Jenson Button5
17Stoffel Vandoorne1
18Esteban Gutierrez0
19Jolyon Palmer0
20Marcus Ericsson0
21Pascal Wehrlein0
22Felipe Nasr0
23Rio Haryanto0

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP
PosConstructorPoints
1Mercedes188
2Ferrari121
3Red Bull/Renault112
4Williams/Mercedes66
5Force India/Mercedes37
6Toro Rosso/Ferrari30
7McLaren/Honda24
8Haas/Ferrari22
9Renault6
10Sauber/Ferrari0
11Manor/Mercedes0