Monaco GP 2017

MAY 28, 2017

Race Notes - Vettel wins for Ferrari in Monaco

Sebastian Vettel, Monaco GP 2017
© The Cahier Archive

 

By Mark Karp

Ferrari finished one-two at the Monaco GP with Sebastian Vettel winning, followed 3.1 seconds behind by Kimi Raikkonen. Daniel Ricciardo finishing in third in his Red Bull, 3.7s behind the winner.

It is the first win at Monaco for Ferrari in sixteen years - since Schumacher in 2001, and 90th one-two finish for Ferrari. It is the first one-two finish for the driver pairing of Vettel and Raikkonen.

Vettel now leads Hamilton by a full race win worth of points with a 25 point lead. Ferrari overtakes Mercedes in the constructors championship by 17 points.

Valtteri Bottas (5.5s) in his Mercedes GP was fourth, followed by Max Verstappen (6.1s) in the Red Bull in fifth, Carlos Sainz (12.0s) in the Toro Rosso-Renault in sixth, Lewis Hamilton (15.8s) in the Mercedes in seventh, Romain Grosjean (18.1s) in the Haas-Ferrari in eighth, Felipe Massa (19.4s) in the Williams-Mercedes in ninth, and Kevin Magnussen (21.4s) in the first double-points finish for Haas in tenth place.

Before the race, Raikkonen took pole - his first since 2008 in France - ahead of his Ferrari team mate Vettel in second. Bottas and Verstappen on row two, while Hamilton, knocked in Q2 will only start from 13th, handicapping his chances of a good finish.

At the appointed time the drivers came round on the formation lap, the lights went out and the race began with a clean start with Raikkonen leading Vettel, Bottas, Verstappen and Ricciardo - Hamilton running 12th.

On lap 4 Raikkonen sets fast lap at 1m17.072s. The next lap Vettel goes faster at 1m17.044s.

On lap 6 Raikkonen sets fast lap at 1m16.666s.

On lap 9 Vettel sets fast lap at 1m16.421s.

At lap 10, with the field slowly spreading out, Raikkonen leads Vettel by 2.2s followed by Bottas (6.1s), Verstappen (8.5s), Ricciardo (10.4s), Sainz (14.6s), Perez (16.6s), Grosjean (19.4s), Magnussen (23.1s), and Hulkenberg (24.9s) in tenth place - Hamilton (28.9s) in 12th place.

On lap 13 Wehrlein is handed a five-second penalty for unsafe pit release.

On lap 16 Hulkenberg pulls off the track with a gearbox failure.

On lap 17 Perez pits and changes to super soft tyres, the team changes the front wing, which was damaged early in the race.

At lap 20 Raikkonen leads Vettel by 1.7s, followed by Bottas (6.9s), Verstappen (9.4s), Ricciardo (12.9s), Sainz (21.6s), Grosjean (28.1s), Magnussen (31.6s), Kvyat (33.9s) and Hamilton (35.6s) in tenth place.

On lap 24 Hamilton tells Mercedes, ‘Does the car seem okay? grip is poor, handling all over the place.‘Ï

Vettel closes on Raikkonen in the lead to 0.8s.

At lap 30 Raikkonen continues to lead Vettel by 1.3s, followed by Bottas (5.0s), Verstappen (6.5s), Ricciardo (8.5s), Sainz (20.4s), Grosjean (30.3s), Magnussen (34.9s), Kvyat (36.4s) and Hamilton (38.0s) in tenth place.

On lap 32 Verstappen pits changing to super soft tyres.

The next lap Bottas pits for super soft tyres, coming back out still just ahead of Verstappen.

On lap 34 race leader Raikkonen pits and rejoins in third place. Ricciardo sets fast lap at 1m16.117s, then again the next lap at 1m16.093s, and again the next lap at 1m16.019s.

On lap 36 Vettel sets fast lap at 1m15.587s. Sainz and Magnussen both pit.

On lap 38 Ricciardo pits from second place, rejoining in third, ahead of Bottas.

Vettel pits the next lap from the lead, and rejoins ahead of Raikkonen, still in the lead.

Ocon pits with a punctured tyre.

At lap 40, just past half distance, Vettel leads Raikkonen by 3.2s, followed by Ricciardo (9.8s), Bottas (17.9s), Verstappen (19.2s), Hamilton (25.5s) yet to stop, Vandoorne (33.6s), Sainz (35.4s), Grosjean (47.0s) and Magnussen (49.1s) in tenth place.

On lap 43 Magnussen pits.

On lap 45 Vettel stretches his lead over Raikkonen to 7.2 seconds.

On lap 47 Hamilton pits and rejoins in seventh place behind Sainz.

At lap 50 Vettel leads Raikkonen by 10.6s, followed by Ricciardo (15.7s), Bottas (25.5s), Verstappen (26.3s), Sainz (43.2s), Hamilton (50.5s), Grosjean (55.9s), Kvyat (57.5s) and Vandoorne (61.2s) in tenth place.

Ricciardo is closing to within two seconds of Raikkonen in second place. Hamilton is the only driver lapping in the 1m15s range, and is closing on Sainz in sixth.

There are reports that drivers are cutting tyres on a man-hole cover that is coming up in the exit of Ste Devote corner.

On lap 60 the safety car is out when Wehrlein Sauber is flipped on its side in the exit of Portier corner. Jenson Button is out of his McLaren in the runoff after the tunnel.

A replay shows that Button and Wehrlein made contact, causing Wehrlein to flip. Wehrlein has contacted the team on the radio saying he is okay.

On lap 62, under the safety car Vettel leads Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Bottas, Verstappen, Sainz, Hamilton, Grosjean, Kvyat and Vandoorne in tenth.

Wehrlein‘s car is righted, and the German jumps out and is okay. A number of drivers have pitted for new tyres.

Stroll tells the team, ‘I‘m losing a lot of tyre temperature. If I don‘t have brakes I‘m going to crash at the restart.‘Ï

Ericsson runs into the barriers at Ste Devote during the safety car period and his car is craned away.

At the end of lap 66 the safety car comes in and the race is resumed.

Ricciardo, Bottas and Verstappen battling for third place.

Vandoorne hits the barriers at the exit of Ste Devote, battling with Perez and is out of tenth place.

At lap 70 Vettel leads Raikkonen by 2.7s, followed by Ricciardo (4.1s), Bottas (5.4s), Verstappen (5.9s), Sainz (8.5s), Hamilton (11.0s), Grosjean (12.8s), Massa (14.9s) and Magnussen (16.6s) in tenth.

Kvyat is out at Casino square. Perez pits for tyres.

The Perez and Kvyat incident will be investigated after the race.

Stroll pits and retires the Williams.

On lap 76 Perez on new tyres sets fast lap in the 1m14s.

At the close of the race Vettel wins the Monaco Grand Prix, followed by Raikkonen and Ricciardo.