29 May, 2017
Ferraris Sebastian Vettel has extended his lead at the top of the Drivers' Championship after winning the Monaco Grand Prix.
Vettel's victory was Ferrari's first in Monaco since 2001.
Australian Daniel Ricciardo took his second successive podium with third place for Red Bull. Minimal overtaking In a race with plenty of sunshine and minimal overtaking, late crashes ensured the safety vehicle made its traditional Monaco appearance. We have to add this, because his team is far away from Ferrari and Mercedes, and yet they are very good until now. The machine then burst into a fireball, flipped, then slid down the track before returning right-side up. Wheel-to-wheel action was scarce around the famously tight street circuit, emphasising the importance of the 200-metre run from pole position to turn one in Monaco.
Ferrari kept Vettel out in front until he had a big enough margin over Raikkonen to pit and resume in the lead, which he successfully managed on lap 39.
It was a bad weekend for Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton - who is second behind Vettel in the standings - finishing seventh after starting from 13th following a poor qualifying session. "It is how it goes sometimes but we go to the next race".
"Obviously I can stop the vehicle if I want", he joked, asking if he could have refused the instruction to pit earlier than Vettel even though he was leading the race.
"I still believe we can win this thing".
Vettel's team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who started from pole position for the first time in nine years, appeared on course to win by holding off Vettel in the opening phase of a processional race.
Obviously, it's still second place but it doesn't feel awfully good. "It's still second place but it doesn't count a lot in my books".
"It's clear to me that Ferrari have chosen their No. 1 driver so they will be pushing everything to make sure Sebastian will maximize all of his weekends", Hamilton said.
A gearbox failure for Renault's Nico Hulkenberg before Sergio Perez pitted for a new front wing promoted him to 10th, but the triple world champion, complaining of poor grip, was already 35 seconds behind race leader Raikkonen by the end of lap 24. "It's one of those days where you wish you'd led a bit more", he said after the ceremony.
Lewis Hamilton says he is convinced Ferrari have designated Sebastian Vettel as their number one driver.
"Today, as a team, we wanted a one-two. Obviously they have reasons for whatever they do".
"I think we need to give them credit. they needed to pit one of the two drivers and put him on the super-soft (tyre)".
"I don't think Daniel had priority over Max going into the race".
Attention was soon refocused on the track when, on lap 60, the Safety Car was deployed after Wehrlein was tipped into the barrier at Portier.
"I was able to use that window to come ahead and after that I could control the race".
