Lewis Hamilton has won the Monaco Grand Prix after a strong defensive drive against the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.
Hamilton had a strong start taking the first corner comfortably ahead of his teammate Valterri Bottas and went on to manage his pace until the safety car was deployed on lap 9 after debris was left on the track from Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.
With the safety car out, Hamilton pitted along with Bottas, Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, however, Hamilton opted for medium tyres while his rivals went for the hard compound.
The Briton then displayed an incredible defensive drive as he held off the Red Bull of Max Verstappen for the next 64 laps. He repeatedly complained on the radio that his tyres were degrading too quickly and that he would not last the race but Mercedes kept him out.
This paid off as Hamilton took his fourth win in the Principality.
The points finishers
Max Verstappen finished second on the track after hustling Hamilton for the whole race. However, he received a five second penalty after an unsafe release from his pit stop and he could face a further penalty after colliding into Hamilton at the chicane after the tunnel on lap 76.
The Dutchman is currently classified in fourth.
Vettel had a quiet race as he was unable to challenge the front two. He had to manage overheating issues but after a tough few weeks he will be happy to finish in second.
Bottas was unfortunate to get hit by Verstappen in the pits which caused a puncture and he had to settle for fourth.
Pierre Gasly finished in fifth for Red Bull, having started eighth on the grid. The Frenchman also took the fastest lap of the race after a late pit stop.
Carlos Sainz was best of the rest in sixth for McLaren in what is his best result since moving to the Woking based team.
Toro Rosso had a strong showing with Daniil Kvyat and Alex Albon finishing seventh and eighth as both drivers copied Sainz by not pitting under the safety car.
Daniel Ricciardo finished ninth for Renault while Romain Grosjean completed the top 10.
The rest
Lando Norris finished just outside the points coming home in 11th place. The Briton once again lost places at the start of the race.
Kevin Magnussen crossed the line in 12th and he was followed home by Sergio Perez in the Racing Point.
Nico Hulkenberg lost out in the safety car period which ruined his race. He pitted just before the safety car came out and was too far behind the rest of the field by the time everyone pitted. He ended up finishing 14th.
George Russell had his best result for Williams crossing the line in 15th and Lance Stroll finished 16th after an eventful race.
Kimi Raikkonen was next to cross the line in 17th. He crashed into Stroll on the first lap at Lowes hairpin which cost him a number of positions.
Robert Kubica was 18th ahead of the last classified finisher, Antonio Giovinazzi in the Sauber.
Leclerc had another difficult day
Charles Leclerc had another day to forget for Ferrari. He said before the race that he would need to take risks and he was aggressive from the outset.
He passed Grosjean in a daring but brilliant move at Rascasse for 11th place on lap 8 but when he tried the same move on Hulkenberg a lap later it did not work out as well.
Whilst passing Hulkenberg, Leclerc clipped the inside barrier which caused him to spin and collect a puncture. Now angry, Leclerc drove as quickly as he could back to the pits but ruined his floor in the process.
The debris from his car caused the safety car to be deployed and effectively ended his race as he retired on lap 18.
