MOTORSPORT: Verstappen dominates Monaco

Double Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen romped to victory in the Monaco Grand Prix, as late rain turned on a spectacle in the principality.

With his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez having a terrible day, Verstappen’s fourth win of the season has extended his points advantage in the 2023 F1 championship out to 39.

“It was quite a difficult one because we were on the medium initially and Fernando was on the hard tyre,” said Verstappen.

“We didn’t want to go that long, but we had too. The rain was coming, and we didn’t know really what was going on.

“Then it started to rain lap by lap, and then we had to make the call to go on to the inters.

“It was incredibly slippery.

“When you are that far in the lead you don’t want to push too hard, but you don’t want to lose too much time, so it’s quite difficult in that scenario – I clipped the walls a few times, it was super difficult out there, but that’s Monaco!”

Verstappen won the race to the first corner from pole, and behind him, contact between Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), then Stroll and Logan Sargeant (Williams) resulted in no major damage, while on lap 12 of 78, Carlos Sainz clattered into Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and broke his front wing.

As the leaders hit lapped traffic on lap 32, the major pit stops kicked off with Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) stopping first, followed a lap later by Ocon.

Rain started falling on lap 53, and chaos ensued, with numerous cars hitting the barriers or winding up down escape roads, with Stroll the only retirement from the drama.

At the chequered flag, Verstappen had drawn out a 27sec advantage over the field, claiming his second Monaco win in dominant style.

For Alonso, an initial move to medium compound tyres when the rain started falling was able to be rectified by a second stop, with his advantage enabling him to claim his first second place finish for the season, and fifth podium from six races.

Ocon meanwhile finished where he started in third, his third career podium.

Hamilton was next from his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who was penalized five seconds post-race for an unsafe rejoin.

In sixth was local driver Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), who incurred a three-place grid penalty for impeding Lando Norris (McLaren) in qualifying.

He finished ahead of Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), who spun just as the rain began falling, then Norris and Aussie Oscar Piastri (McLaren), who forged past Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) on lap 69 to claim his second career points.

After crashing out of qualifying and starting last, title challenger Perez pitted at the end of the first circuit, before multiple mid-race dramas necessitated a front wing change, eventually relegating the Mexican to a 17th place result.

The Formula 1 season continues next weekend with the Spanish Grand Prix from Catalunya.

2023 Monaco Grand Prix results:

2023 Formula 1 championship standings: