Hamilton’s goal from there was to stay out on the wet tires until he could pit for the ultra-soft “slick” tires (and cut out a pit stop in the process), which he did on lap 31. Ricciardo came in the next lap, but his Red Bull team was unprepared and didn’t have the tires at the ready, costing him valuable time in the race for the lead with the Mercedes.
Unfazed, Ricciardo would chase Hamilton back down as the halfway point approached, and his charge would be aided by the third slowdown and second virtual safety car of the race, caused when Verstappen’s charge from the back to the top 10 ended in a crash just before Casino Square. The incident would cause heavy damage to the teenager’s Red Bull and put him out of the race.
Action resumed two laps shy of halfway, and it was fierce as Hamilton blew the Nouvelle Chicane and nearly put Ricciardo into the wall as they scrapped for the lead of the race. Both gathered their cars up and continued on, but the incident required an investigation by the stewards before being cleared as a racing battle. All the while, the gap sat at just a second or less before another virtual safety car – this time for a crash between the Sauber teammates of Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson at Rascasse – slowed the action at lap 51.
Two laps later, with 25 to go, the action got heated for the top spot. Ricciardo tried to make a power move for the lead on the restart, but could not make it stick and had to fall back into line as Hamilton eased away to a second and a half advantage at the 60th round.
From there, despite reports of impending rain that ultimately did find the circuit with two laps to go, it was Hamilton’s race to win as he drove away to a near-seven second victory over Ricciardo in the end.
For the Australian, it was a day of “what if?” after the failed pit stop, one that left him fuming at his team both over the radio and in his post-race interview.
“I don’t even want to comment on the race, to be honest,” a disgusted Ricciardo admitted. “I guess from the outside, we put on a show (for the fans), but it shouldn’t even have been as exciting as it was. That’s two weekends in a row now that I’ve been screwed, and it sucks. It hurts.”
“I was caught in the box; I didn’t make the call,” Ricciardo added of the pit stop miscue. “I got called in, so the team should have been ready. Second place shows ”
Sergio Perez rounded out the podium finishers in third, marking a stunning drive for Force India and making him the first Mexican to ever stand on the podium at Monaco.
“I am extremely happy with this result,” Perez said with a huge grin. “The team did an amazing job with the strategy calls and pit stops. It’s been an amazing day for us. This is a very special race for us, to perform this well and finish here on the podium in these condition and at Monaco, and I want to dedicate our race to (team boss) Vijay Mallya for being so supportive to this team.”
“I think we made the right call on the soft tires. I was able to save enough that when I needed to push and hold off Seb at the end there, I had the tire left to be able to do that.”
Vettel crossed the line fourth and Fernando Alonso was fifth in a banner day for McLaren-Honda.
Nico Hulkenberg, Rosberg, Carlos Sainz Jr., Jenson Button and Felipe Massa completed the top 10.
A tough day for the Haas F1 Team saw the two American-owned cars, driven by Esteban Gutierrez and Romain Grosjean, finish 12th and 13th, respectively.
Memorial Day Sunday continues with the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, airing at 12 noon on ABC, while the Formula One World Championship resumes on June 12 with the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
RESULTS: Formula One World Championship; Grand Prix of Monaco; Monaco Street Circuit; May 29, 2016
- Lewis Hamilton
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Sergio Perez
- Sebastian Vettel
- Fernando Alonso
- Nico Hulkenberg
- Nico Rosberg
- Carlos Sainz Jr.
- Jenson Button
- Felipe Massa
- Valtteri Bottas
- Esteban Gutierrez
- Romain Grosjean
- Pascal Wehrlein
- Rio Haryanto
- Marcus Ericsson (DNF)
- Felipe Nasr (DNF)
- Max Verstappen (DNF)
- Kevin Magnussen (DNF)
- Daniil Kvyat (DNF)
- Kimi Raikkonen (DNF)
- Jolyon Palmer (DNF)
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: speed77radio@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
Email Race Chaser Online: news@racechaseronline.com
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