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F1: Daniel Ricciardo flys home in the final lap of the Monaco Grand Prix.
A STUNNING drive from a mechanically-plagued Daniel Ricciardo has gifted the Aussie Formula One superstar his second win of the year with a gutsy win at Monte Carlo.
The 28-year-old Red Bull felt his power sapping early in the piece but used the narrow streets of Monaco to his advantage as he fended off Sebastian Vettel hot on his tail.
Ricciardo claims second win of the year Daniel Ricciardo won his first race starting from the top three with a stunning performance under the pump to cross the line over seven seconds ahead of Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel. A mechanical issue early in the piece thwarted his power, but the Aussie was able to capitalise on the narrow Monte Carlo circuit to stave off the German for the remainder of the race. “I don’t know how you did that, Daniel, incredible,” Red Bull’s Christian Horner said. Ricciardo later revealed he only used six gears after the initial radio message from Red Bull confirmed he would be driving with a faulty car for the majority of the race. Sky Sports commentators guessed the Perth product was racing with roughly 25 per cent less power for over half the race. “I think I can show emotion today,” an elated Ricciardo said. “This is two years in the making so I finally feel like the redemption has arrived. “We had problems. We had a lot to deal with during the race. I felt a loss of power and I thought the race was done. I got home just using six gears. “Thanks to the team. We got it back. I’m stoked. “There were a few doubts that came in mid-race but ... we won Monaco. It feels good.” It was later revealed Ricciardo was racing without a functioning MGU-K unit, an electric motor that is connected to the petrol engine and recovers energy that is normally lost in heat during brake phases. RESULT (Top 10)
1)Ricciardo
2)Vettel
3)Hamilton
4)Raikkonen
5)Bottas
6)Ocon
7)Gasly
8)Hulkenberg
9Verstappen
10)Sainz#MonacoGP #F1 — Bolarinwa Olajide (@iambolar) May 27, 2018 Ricciardo says he lost the MGU-K - that's at least 160bhp gone from about lap 18 — Andrew Benson (@andrewbensonf1) May 27, 2018 Ricciardo finally wins his other ‘home’ Grand Prix. Unbelievable drive under challenging circumstances. #F1 — Brett Sprigg (@BrettSprigg) May 27, 2018 Share
Virtual safety car after huge contact Charles Leclerc smashed into the back of New Zealand star Brendon Hartley in the 73rd lap after a suspected brake failure, sending debris flying through the air and brought on a virtual safety car. The brief moment of respite gave Daniel Ricciardo a handy breather with the final 5 laps looming. On the restart, the Aussie was able to get a solid boost ahead of Sebastian Vettel on his tail and claim a six second lead. “I’ve got it, buddy,” a cool Ricciardo said with three laps left. “I would imagine Daniel Ricciardo is smiling just a little bit more now,” David Croft said. CRASH ALERT!
The Monegasque @Charles_Leclerc🇲🇨 has had a massive collision with @BrendonHartley🇳🇿 which ends the race for both drivers!#F1 #MonacoGP🇲🇨 pic.twitter.com/9jXMybob66 — FOX Sports LIVE! (@FSAsiaLive) May 27, 2018 Share
Max making a serious move A start at the back of the grid left little to no expectations on Max Verstappen’s shoulders after a horror crash before qualifying left his weekend in tatters — but the Dutchman wasn’t keen on leaving Monaco in the double figures. By the 60th lap, the 20-year-old Red Bull had made his way to ninth place ahead of Carlos Sainz as teammate Daniel Ricciardo fought off Sebastian Vettel with a power issue. His aggressive charge saw him pip the fastest lap of the race with a slippery 1.14.260 time. A new F1 lap record in Monaco! Max Verstappen turns in a time of 1m14.260s (lap records can only be set in the race) #F1 #MonacoGP — Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) May 27, 2018 Verstappen 9th
This guy isnt human. — Cinderella Man (@Osi_Suave) May 27, 2018 .@Max33Verstappen is a man on a mission!
The Dutchman started last and is now in P9!#F1 #MonacoGP🇲🇨 pic.twitter.com/3SOMc7ClhO — FOX Sports LIVE! (@FSAsiaLive) May 27, 2018 Share
Trouble for Dan It was all going well for Daniel Ricciardo before he found Sebastian Vettel on his tail. In the 30th lap, the Aussie sent a haunting message to his team over the radio. “I’m losing power and losing gear sync,” an audibly deflated Ricciardo said. When asked if the problem could be fixed before the chequered flag, a swift reply of “negative” came from his Red Bull engineers. With overtaking opportunities next to nil in Monaco and 46 laps to go, a gruelling struggle faces Ricciardo as he tries to stave off Vettel before the final turn. Lewis Hamilton is also in the mix as the Englishman came within sniffing distance of the top two. “What will spur Hamilton on is that he can now see Ricciardo and Vettel on the pit straight,” Brundle said. “He can see the enemy, he’s faster than them and he will begin to understand that while he’s struggling, others are struggling more.” Fears for Ricciardo’s tyres began to arise as the final 30 laps dawned. A pit stop would see his lead lost for good, but a blown tyre would be the worst possible finish to a perfect qualifying weekend. Share
Pits galore in Monte Carlo Daniel Ricciardo would have been dreading fate after a horror pit stop in 2016 cost him a chance at Monaco glory. Luckily for him, his jump to the pit lane went as smooth as possible and left him returning to the race with his first place unscathed. It followed a flurry of pits from Ferrari and Mercedes to switch out their tyres. Lewis Hamilton pitted from third early in the piece and opted for ultrasofts, and Sebastian Vettel followed suit soon after. The fresh change allowed the German to close the gap between himself and Ricciardo down to 2.5 seconds by the 21st lap. Share
Ricciardo off to a clean start Despite having defending Monte Carlo winner Sebastian Vettel hot on his tail, Daniel Ricciardo got off to what Martin Brundle described as a “perfect” start to the Monaco Grand Prix. Continuously bettering his fastest lap, the Aussie made clean work of the claustrophobic conditions and snagged a comfortable one-second lead over the German by the end of the first lap. By the 12th lap, the Aussie had over seven seconds between him and Fernando Alonso in seventh. Down the other end of the pack, Max Verstappen made quick work of the low hanging fruit and worked his way from 20th to 16th with relative ease. Share
Legend’s sparkling Ricciardo verdict Racing great and Sky Sports veteran Martin Brundle has showered praise on Daniel Ricciardo after a stellar qualifying weekend put him in the box seat to claim his second win of the year. Brundle claimed the 28-year-old Perth product was in the league of heavyweights and four-time champions Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. “He’s certainly of that ilk now, and you’ve got to include him in those conversations when you’re talking about who’s the best driver on the grid,” Brundle said on Sky before the race. “He’s the best overtaken on the grid, bar none, and by some margin I would say. He’s delivering the pace and he probably hasn’t had as many pole positions as he would have liked and deserved, but he’s never had a dominant car in qualifying. “He stays out of trouble in the race, and he’s the real deal. This track owes him a victory.” Share
Verstappen’s weekend goes from bad to worse As if Max Verstappen’s trip to Monte Carlo couldn’t get worse, the fiery 20-year-old has been slapped with a penalty for changing his motor generator unit-kinetic (MGU-K) after a horror crash in the lead up to today’s race. It is the third time the Bulls have been forced to switch out the unit, surpassing the FIA’s restriction for two changes a season. While the Red Bull youngster can’t sink further down the grid with the penalty, a third MGU-K this early in the season can only mean bad news with 15 races left in the year’s fixture. Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko shared some sage advice for the uncompromising star after his blowout over the weekend. “Max has to learn not always to drive flat out. This one was unnecessary. He needs to be more patient, judge the situations better,” Marko said. Share
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Red Bull believes Daniel Ricciardo won the Monaco Grand Prix with a car that was 25% down on power, after suffering an MGU-K failure early in the race.
Ricciardo made it clear over team radio he was suffering a lack of power from his car - which allowed nearest challenger Sebastian Vettel to close up.
Speaking after Ricciardo held on to take his second win of the season, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner revealed more details about the problems.
"He has lost about 25% of the power of the engine," Horner told Sky Sports.
"And then because of the way these engines work, his rear brake temperatures are going through the roof.
"We saw it with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg a few years back in Montreal.
"He is having to cool the brakes, he is having to cool the car, he is having to lift off to do that.
"He is having Sebastian Vettel breathing down his neck. He cannot make a mistake. He cannot lock a wheel up.
"He is dealing with all the switch changes and all the stuff that he has got to manage. And he totally nailed it. He was the coolest guy out there today."
When an MGU-K fails, it not only results in a loss of the 160hp power boost from that system, but it also has an impact on brakes too as the MGU-K is charged by kinetic energy off the rear brake-by-wire system, so when it fails that resistance is gone - which means the rear brakes have to work harder and risk overheating.
Ricciardo thought it was over
Ricciardo said when the problem first struck "I went on the throttle and had what felt like half the power".
"I expected my race to be over in a few corners," he added. "After a few laps I was stressing out and the team said 'this is you for the rest of the race now'.
"I still don't really know how we did it, obviously it helps that the track's so difficult to overtake.
"That was not a good feeling and I couldn't really enjoy much of the race after that."
Horner said there were discussions in the Red Bull pit about Ricciardo having to retire, but it was decided against because he was still in the lead.
"It was unbelievable," Horner added. "He was not going to give this race up, this weekend. He has been quickest in every session.
"We lost the MGU-K 17-18 laps into the race, and that is 2.5 seconds per lap he is giving up.
"Then your brake temperatures go out of control, the fuel [consumption], tyre temperatures go up - and he just managed it like he was on a Sunday afternoon drive.
"They are telling me on the intercom that we are going to have to retire the car after one or two laps, and I said look, we are in the lead of the Monaco GP, we are keeping going."
Lewis Hamilton has pleaded with the Monaco GP to be updated so that F1's most prestigious event delivers a race to match.
Hamilton finished a frustrated third in a largely processional race at the Principality on Sunday, happy with the "damage limitation" to his world championship prospects.
But he was alarmed by the nature of a race in which the field consistently lapped over five seconds off Daniel Ricciardo's pole position time, in order to save their tyres at a circuit where track position is everything.
"We were just cruising around from lap six," said Hamilton immediately after the race. "It wasn't really racing. Ultimately we were turned down and just cruising around to make sure we got to the end."
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But in a passionate eulogy about the race considered to be F1's showpiece event, Hamilton spoke eloquently later on Sunday evening about why he is so keen for Monaco to change.
"Monaco has the biggest build-up and is the most special race of the season and it is just a shame that the race isn't as exciting as the whole spectacle and the track actually is. In qualifying it is epic and through practice there is no place like it, but in the race we just weren't ever pushing.
"It was insane how little l was pushing - the least l can ever remember. There was a point where l was ten seconds behind and l was conflicted because in my heart l was 'I still want to win the race' and they were like 'no, just bring it home'. I just love racing.
"So what can we do to make this one better?"
Hamilton had an answer to his own question.
"I spoke to Prince Albert the other day and said maybe we should make it longer. There are more roads so maybe we can change this great track and make it even better.
"Or maybe the format should change. You shouldn't be able to do a one-stop race here. There has to be some mixed-up things. Maybe we need two races.
"But that was the longest 78 laps ever!"
A quick look back at the Monaco GP after Ricciardo claimed victory in Monaco ahead of Vettel and Hamilton. A quick look back at the Monaco GP after Ricciardo claimed victory in Monaco ahead of Vettel and Hamilton.
Successful damage limitation for Hamilton in the title race
The relief for Hamilton and Mercedes, meanwhile, was that his lead of the world championship was only trimmed by three points in a race likely to be the Silver Arrows' weakest in 2018.
Hamilton, like the rest of the field, had no answer to the dominant form of Daniel Ricciardo and admitted: "Nobody could match them this weekend but hopefully our best race Is elsewhere. We know that here and Singapore will be our toughest trace but hopefully our car will be better at the majority of races.
"You can't win them all, l know that. I only lost three points and l am grateful for that. Would l like to have won the Monaco GP? Hell yes. Would l like to win the world championship? Hell yes, more than anything."
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is grateful to lead the championship by 14 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is grateful to lead the championship by 14 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel.
After six races in 2018, Hamilton, Vettel and Ricciardo have each won two races apiece, but the Englishman will arrive in Canada in two weeks' time with a 14-point advantage over the Ferrari driver with Ricciardo a further 24 points behind.
"It is definitely a three-way fight," Hamilton said.
"Sebastian and Ferrari are still the strongest. Their car was quick here and their car has worked well all season so far. But it is a three-way battle and Red Bull potentially should have an engine upgrade at the next race and it will be interesting to see their performance - they will continue to get stronger through the year.
"I am telling you, we are doing everything we can to win. [Sometimes] we win, then Ferrari win, then Red Bull win. I personally love it and it is challenging me more than I can express. It is the biggest challenge I have had."
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