Lewis Hamilton claimed his third Monaco Grand Prix victory after a tense 78-lap race which saw him under pressure for almost its entirety, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen chasing him down.
The Mercedes driver, who started from pole, led from start to finish, but it was by no means an easy win, in fact Hamilton claimed it was his hardest victory as he fought with his fading tyres and he had to eke extra life out of them, all whilst Verstappen pressured him for the lead.
The Dutchman crossed the line second and spent much of the race on the gearbox of the Mercedes, rarely falling more than a second behind, but was dropped to fourth with the addition of a five-second time penalty, which was the result of an unsafe release during his one and only stop.
Monaco GP: Drivers' Standings | Constructors' Standings
The Safety Car triggered the leaders to stop, with Hamilton and then second-placed Valtteri Bottas pitting at the same time. But Verstappen was released into the path of Bottas and the pair made brief contact which punctured Bottas' tyre – thankfully it was only a slow puncture and he stopped on the following lap, but that dropped him to fourth behind Sebastian Vettel.
Verstappen was handed a five-second time penalty which was applied after the race, promoting Vettel to second and Bottas onto the final podium step.
The safety car was the result of a puncture for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. The local driver attempted to pass Nico Hulkenberg at Rascasse, but brushed the barrier as he did and spun. That punctured his right-rear and spewed debris over the circuit as he returned to the pits.
The Monegasque man later retired from the race, with the damage caused too much to continue.
It would prove the key to a dramatic race as Hamilton was switched to the Medium compound tyres, unlike Vettel, Verstappen and Bottas, who were all on the more durable hard and were able to comfortably run to the end of the race, unlike Hamilton who struggled with tyre life and made it clear over team radio, calling for a miracle!
But he was able to keep a hounding Verstappen at bay – although they made contact in the closing laps as Verstappen lunged at the chicane, hitting the rear of the Mercedes. Both escaped undamaged and were able to finish the race in first and second, before the application of penalties. Though that incident remains under investigation.
Vettel ran a quiet race, not really challenging the leading pair, comfortable to finish a net second.
Pierre Gasly made it a Red Bull 4-5 ahead of McLaren's Carlos Sainz and the Toro Rossos, with Daniel Kvyat leading Alexander Albon over the finish line.
Romain Grosjean finished ninth, but was dropped to tenth with a five-second time penalty, promoting Renault's Daniel Ricciardo.
George Russell was a best 15th for Williams ahead of Lance Stroll and Kimi Raikkonen – those two made contact on two occasions – with Robert Kubica 18th having spun at Rascasse, briefly blocking the track.
