Race Notes - Rosberg wins another Mercedes 1-2 at Monaco

Nico Rosberg won the Monaco Grand Prix today ahead of his Mercedes GP team mate Lewis Hamilton by 9.2 seconds, in the sixth consecutive victory for the team this season. Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull-Renault finished in third, just 0.4 seconds behind Hamilton.

Rosberg has won his second Monaco GP in succession. Rosberg takes over the World Drivers Championship lead over Hamilton once again by four points.

Fernando Alonso (22.8s) in the Ferrari was fourth, followed by Nico Hulkenberg (71.2s) in the Force India-Mercedes in fifth, Jenson Button (0.1s) in the McLaren-Mercedes was sixth, Felipe Massa (0.7s) in the Williams-Mercedes was seventh, Romain Grosjean (17.1s) in the Lotus-Renault was eighth, Jules Bianchi (3.5s) in the Marussia-Ferrari was ninth and Kevin Magnussen (5.6s) in the second McLaren was in the final points paying position in tenth place.

Mercedes GP drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton hold the first row of the grid, in a race where the starting order holds so much importance to the race. The Red Bull™s of Ricciardo and Vettel hold the second row, while the Ferrari™s of Alonso and Raikkonen hold the third row. Vergne, Magnussen, Kvyat and Perez round out the top ten.

Drivers have a choice of soft and super soft tyres, most opting for a one-stop strategy - the top ten all starting on super soft compound tyres.

Hulkenberg, Maldonado, Sutil, Chilton, Bianchi and Ericsson all starting on soft tyres.

Maldonado and Ericsson both will start from the pit lane.

Rosberg brings the field around to the start, the lights go out and the race begins with Rosberg leads Hamilton and Vettel . Raikkonen passes Alonso and Ricciardo.

At Mirabeau Perez and Button make contact - Perez ending up in tbe wall. The safety car is deployed.

Grosjean pits at the end of the lap and switches to soft tyres and is good to go for the rest of the race. Sutil switches to super softs. Maldonado pits as well and retires with a fuel system problem.

Hamilton complains to his team that the temperatures are falling on his brakes and tyres.

At the end of lap 3 the Safety Car pulls into the pits, and the race resumes.

Raikkonen passes Vettel for third. Vettel falls back to fifth and complains that he has no power.

Vettel continues to drop back and pits at the end of the lap, the team working on the car. Vettel rejoins a lap behind and radios that he is stuck in first gear.

The first lap crash between Perez and Button is being investigated by the stewards.

On lap 6 Rosberg sets fast lap, and sets it again the next lap at 1m20.312 seconds. Vettel is back in the pits and retires.

At lap 10 Rosberg continues to lead his team mate Hamilton by 0.9 seconds, followed by Raikkonen (4.6s), Ricciardo (4.2s), Alonso (2.5s) , Magnussen (4.0s), Vergne (2.9s), Hulkenberg (4.4s) Buttton (0.5) and Bottas (4.2s) in tenth place.

On lap 11 Rosberg sets another fast lap at 1m20,082 seconds. Kvyat pits and retires. Sutil passes Ericsson for 17th place at the hairpin.

On lap 15 Hamilton tells the team, œI can already feel my rears going.

On lap 17 Sutil passes Chilton for 15th place at the chicane.

On lap 18 Rosberg locks his brakes into Mirabeau, but continues to lead his team mate by 1.7 seconds.

On lap 19 Chilton receives a 5s stop-go penalty

At lap 20 Rosberg leads Hamilton by 1.3 seconds, followed by Raikkonen (10.3s), Ricciardo (2.2s), Alonso (3.5s), Magnussen (9.6s), Vergne (4.3s), Hulkenberg (5.0s), Button (1.1s) and Bottas (3.3s) in tenth place.

On lap 21 Ricciardo is slowly closing on Raikkonen.

On lap 23 Rosberg continues to ocassionally lock up his brakes from time to time.

On lap 24 Grosjean pits for super soft tyres, Hamilton is told that his team mate is making time on him braking for the first corner.

On lap 25 Sutil touches the inside wall before the chicane and is out. The Safety Car is deployed for a second time. Most of the top runners pit.

Vergne is released and pulls out very closely in front of Magnussen in the pit lane.

The next lap Raikkonen pits again for another set of soft tyres.

On lap 29, behind the Safety Car, Rosberg leads Hamilton, Ricciardo, Alonso, Massa, Vergne, Magnussen, Hulkenberg, Button and Bottas in tenth place.

Hamilton questions his team that they should have pitted a lap earlier.

On lap 31 the race continues with Rosberg in the lead. Magnussen passes Vergne into Rascasse.

Hulkenberg passes Magnussen on the inside at Portier for seventh.

Hamilton chases Rosberg with a 0.5 second gap.

On lap 33 Rosberg sets another fast lap at 1m19.425s.

On lap 34 Raikkonen trys and fails to pass Kobayashi in 12th place.

On lap 35 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m19.361s. Vergne is handed a drive through penalty for the unsafe release in the pits ahead of Magnussen. Raikkonen passes Kobayashi in Rascasse - Bianchi follows the Ferrari through for 13th.

On lap 38 Vergne serves his penalty in the pits.

On lap 39 Grosjean passes Ericsson for 14th.

At lap 40 Rosberg continues to lead Hamilton by 0.7s, followed by Ricciardo (8.6s), Alonso (1.8s), Massa (8.2s), Hulkenberg (4.2s), Magnussen (1.9s), Button (3.9s), Bottas (1.9s) amd Gutierrez (1.3s) in tenth place. - Raikkonen (1.8s) runs in 11th.

On lap 41 Massa in fifth place, has still yet to pit. Alonso is closing on Ricciardo in third place.

Mercedes tells Rosberg that fuel will become critical unless he uses longer gearchanges.

On lap 45 Massa makes his first pit stop from fifth, switching to soft tyres and rejoins in 11th.

Rosberg is conserving fuel, and Hamilton closes slightly.

Vergne closes on Bianchi in 12th.

At lap 50 Rosberg continues to lead his team mate Hamilton by 1.6 seconds, followed by Ricciardo (13.9s), Alonso (2.5s), Hulkenberg (21.5s), Magnussen (4.0s), Button (2.6s), Bottas (2.0s), Gutierrez (1.4s) and Raikkonen (1.4s) in tenth place.

On lap 51 Vergne in the Toro Rosso is smoking and he retires in the pits.

On lap 54 Rosberg is told by the team that his fuel situation has stabilised and to keep doing what he has been doing Raikkonen closes on Gutierrez in ninth place - Massa closes on both of them - while they all close on Bottas in eighth place.

On lap 58 Bottas pulls over at the chicane - his Williams smoking and retires.

At lap 60 Rosberg leads Hamilton by 2.1 seconds, followed by Ricciardo (12.4s), Alonso (5.6s), Hulkenberg (37.8s), Magnussen (1.1s), Button (2.3s), Raikkonen (12.3s) , Massa (0.4s) and Bianchi (4.4s) in tenth place.

On lap 61 Gutierrez clips the inside barrier at Rascasse and spins just before the pit entrance - the Sauber is stuck, but the marshals push the car away.

Bianchi is in position to score Marussia™s first points finish if he can hold on.

Bianchi

On lap 66 Hamilton radios the team that he can™t see out of his left eye - that dirt has gotten into it - the team gets ready in case he pits. Hamilton falls to 4.0 seconds behind his team mate in the lead.

Ricciardo set fast lap at 1m19.316s. Magnussen chases Hulkenberg for fifth place - the Force India struggling with his tyres.

At lap 70 Rosberg leads Hamilton by 5.7 seconds, followed by Ricciardo (5.0s), Alonso (16.5s), Hulkenberg (52.0s), Magnussen (0.5s), Button (1.9s), Raikkonen (1.2s), Massa (11.1s), amd Bianchi (9.7s) in tenth place.

Ricciardo sets fast lap at 1m19.252 seconds.

On lap 72 Ricciardo closes to 1.9 seconds behind Hamilton in second place. Bianchi has still yet to serve his penality in the pits.

On lap 63 Ricciardo closes to 0.7 seconds behind Hamilton as the pair fight through traffic.

Raikkonen tries to dive inside Magnussen at the hairpin, and they both end up stopped on the outside. Raikkonen finishes the lap and pits for tyres and a new front wing.

Hamilton and Ricciardo continue to fight for second place, but the Mercedes driver holds off Ricciardo™s Red Bull and finishes in second place.