Ferrari ends long wait for victory at Monaco GP

The biggest “incident” of the day involved McLaren’s Jenson Button, who came out of retirement to drive Fernando Alonso’s auto (Alonso is in Indy), and Sauber’s Pascal Wehrlein.

There is nothing illegal with “team orders” but Raikkonen is one of Formula One’s most popular drivers and there were many hoping to see the 37-year-old 2007 champion roll back the years and win again. Button crashed into the side of Wehrlein’s vehicle before the blue Sauber auto tipped over to the side of the wall before the tunnel entrance.

The other factor to consider is the safety auto. Button also retired in the process as his vehicle was caught up in the Sauber incident.

With team-mate Kimi Raikkonen getting away well from pole position, the decision to keep Vettel out longer than the Finn saw him emerge from his stop in a lead he held all the way to the finish.

Rounding out the top five was Max Verstappen of Red Bull. But it was the Dutchman who pitted first for fresh supersoft tyres, on lap 32, followed by Bottas on 33.

Raikkonen was more measured but the anger was radiating from him.

Wehrlein’s team mate Marcus Ericsson then plowed straight on into the barriers at the first corner with 13 laps remaining. He went from 1.1s behind Raikkonen to two seconds in front, and that was all she wrote.

It would not be the first time Ferrari have secured a one-two finish in controversial fashion.

“It’s unbelievable, a very tense race“, he grinned.

“I have the smartest strategist and they said the best result looked like 10th but I went in with a positive mentality and pushed as hard as I could”, Hamilton said. Valtteri had good pace and then the window opened, as soon as Valtteri pitted Kimi responded.

“I might not have won the race – it was kind of boring at the start and at the end when you can’t overtake – but the middle part where I was in clear air I really enjoyed”. Kimi responded to Valtteri’s stop.

Thus the single stops settled the race order, though it concertinaed when the safety vehicle was deployed. He just kept Bottas and Verstappen behind him to the flag.

With his new set of super-softs, Hamilton was briefly the fastest man on the track and quickly closed on sixth-placed Carlos Sainz Jr.

French driver Esteban Ocon also blasted his team over radio after having to come in for a puncture fix on his Force India auto. Around Monaco this is not a case of if there will be one – it is just a fact that there will be at least one safety auto period.

“I think we need to give them credit”.

“I was devastated after the session to the point that I couldn’t get out of the auto”, Hamilton said. I can understand why he’s upset. “I might be grateful for them later in the year”.

Looking at the drivers’ standings for the season, Vettel leads the race, have 129 points in the bag.