Nico Rosberg eventaully converted one of his three pole positions this season into a win as the German controlled the Monaco Grand Prix, leading from start to finish.
Rosberg was helped by a safety car period which handed him a free pit stop, ruining Red Bull’s chance of undercutting the German.
Sebastian Vettel took second with Mark Webber third, whilst Lewis Hamilton could only manage fourth after being caught out by the same safety car which benefitted his team-mate.
The race started slow, with driver’s managing their tyres, but as it entered the second half, the action kicked off. It eventually lasted two hours and 22 minutes thanks to two safety cars and a red flag.
The first was caused by Felipe Massa who retired after an almost identical crash to his final practice accident. That brought out the first safety car of the season which stayed out for a prolonged period of time as Massa was seen to by the doctor. He was taken to hospital but early reports suggest he’s okay.
The race was then red flagged after Max Chilton and Pastor Maldonado made contact at Tabac. The Williams was launched into the air and contacted the barrier at 110mph. As a result of the impact, the barrier blocked the track, forcing cars to stop as the marshalls cleared a path.
During the restart Fernando Alonso was forced by the stewards to give up position to Sergio Perez after cutting the chicane prior to the red flag to avoid being passed.
Romain Grosjean caused a third safety car period after he ran into the rear of Daniel Ricciardo’s Toro Rosso at the chicane. Both cars retired, although the Frenchman managed to pit for a new nose before being called in a lap later to end his race.
Perez would later retire after contact with Kimi Raikkonen, which forced the Finn to pit after taking on a puncture, dropping him from fifth to 10th.
Race Result – 2013 Monaco Grand Prix:
| # | Driver | Team | Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 25 | |
| 02. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | +3.8 | 18 |
| 03. | M. Webber | Red Bull | +6.2 | 15 |
| 04. | L. Hamilton | Mercedes | +13.8 | 12 |
| 05. | A. Sutil | Force India | +21.4 | 10 |
| 06. | J. Button | McLaren | +23.1 | 8 |
| 07. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | +26.7 | 6 |
| 08. | J. Vergne | Toro Rosso | +27.2 | 4 |
| 09. | P. di Resta | Force India | +27.6 | 2 |
| 10. | K. Raikkonen | Lotus | +36.5 | 1 |
| 11. | N. Hulkenberg | Sauber | +42.5 | |
| 12. | V. Bottas | Williams | +42.6 | |
| 13. | E. Gutierrez | Sauber | +43.2 | |
| 14. | M. Chilton | Marussia | +49.8 | |
| 15. | G. van der Garde | Caterham | +62.5 | |
| 16. | S. Perez | McLaren | Retired | |
| 17. | R. Grosjean | Lotus | Retired | |
| 18. | D. Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | Retired | |
| 19. | J. Bianchi | Marussia | Retired | |
| 20. | P. Maldonado | Williams | Retired | |
| 21. | F. Massa | Ferrari | Retired | |
| 22. | C. Pic | Caterham | Retired |
