May 27, 2018
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo won the Monaco Grand Prix, with an exceptional drive in which he nursed a stricken car to the flag in front of the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel in second and Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes in third. The Australian was overjoyed with his victory, which was a huge achievement against the odds and goes someway to making up for his disappointment when he missed an almost certain win here in 2016 after a pit stop error by his team. The result means Hamilton’s lead over Vettel in the world championship has narrowed from 17 to 14 points.
Daniel Ricciardo keeps cool in stricken car to win Monaco Grand Prix
Ricciardo had said earlier in the week he would have to ‘earn’ a win here. After 78 flawless laps under intense pressure from behind there is absolutely no doubt he had done so and Red Bull had a real reason to celebrate on the occasion of their 250th grand prix
The race was, as is often the case, something of a procession on the narrow streets of Monaco but was far from a straightforward for Ricciardo. He had led from the off and looked to be fairly comfortable out front until he suffered a power problem on lap 28. The team were unable to resolve it and he had to drive the remaining 50 laps with absolute perfection and on a tight line to ensure that Vettel had no way through, despite his power advantage.
Ricciardo did so with a brilliant display of nerveless driving, in which he went on to hold the lead and ensure he made his tyres last to the end. Vettel had pushed, as had Hamilton but with passing all but impossible, the Australian knew if he could hold track position the win he wanted so badly could still be gained and he held it with absolute authority.
He was left angry and disappointed in 2016 but this weekend was confident he and the team would have another shot at a win. He managed it without putting a foot wrong over an exceptional weekend in which he has dominated the streets of Monto Carlo.
It is Ricciardo’s seventh career victory, his first in Monaco and after winning in China his second this season. He was quickest across all three practice sessions and untouchable in qualifying where he was two-tenths up on Vettel and four-tenths on Hamilton.
For Red Bull this marks what will be seen as a broadly very positive start to the season, despite the disappointment after their drivers took one another out in Baku and Max Verstappen’s crash in practice that forced him to start from the back of the grid, which he managed to convert into ninth place.
Ricciardo’s run from pole was composed and controlled, just as he had been in 2016, before he lost ten seconds in the pits waiting for tyres. This time the was no error and the Australian made the most if it. He pulled off a mature and flawless drive to claim victory and reinforced his standing as one of the most bankable drivers on the grid.
He made a perfect start and the three leaders held station and settled in behind him safely line astern. Ricciardo held the clean air and was carefully managing his tyres, the new hypersoft rubber this season’s softest compound making its debut in Monaco. It meant Vettel and Hamilton were able maintain a stable gap to the Red Bull but not threaten, the three cars steady across a three-second spread.
Hamilton was the first of the leaders to pit, taking the ultrasoft tyres on lap 12 and he emerged in sixth. Ricciardo and Vettel stayed out however, looking to up their pace to prevent Hamilton taking the lead with the undercut. Both were comfortably able to do so. Vettel took the ultrasofts on lap 16 and came out in front of the British driver and Ricciardo did so a lap later and emerged having maintained his lead.
But it did not remain so straightforward. On lap 28 Ricciardo reported he was losing power, and Vettel immediately closed to his rear wing. Ricciardo was 20kmh slower in the final sector, probably due to an ERS issue. The team told the Australian they were aware of his problem but could not solve it from the pit wall and he would have to defend his lead as best he could.
Ricciardo’s frustration was clear but he drove the perfect line and despite the pace advantage Vettel had no way through and the Australian was able to hold a lead of just over one second at not even close to the pace he had set in qualifying. The slower pace bunched the top three up again, all within three seconds of one another. But there was no way through.
Ferrari and Mercedes might have chosen to gamble on stopping again for the quicker rubber but would have lost track position in doing so and opted instead to not risk dropping places that might not be made back. Ricciardo had the place and the win and had without doubt earned it and his ‘redemption’ as he told the team crossing the finish line.
Kimi Raikonnen was in fourth, with Valtteri Bottas in fifth. The Force India of Esteban Ocon was in sixth and the Toro Rosso of Pierre Gasly in seventh. The Renaults of Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr were in eighth and tenth.
Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Olivia Munn Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Double Mastectomy Procedure | E! News
March 13, 2024
kUaEV1Kd3S0
Travis Kelce Shares Details From His Trip to Singapore With Taylor Swift | E! News
March 13, 2024
3YXi-Dgf4eg
Kate Middleton VIRAL Photo: Agency Addresses Photoshop Claims | E! News
March 13, 2024
S4VkO0TpkCY
Da'Vine Joy Randolph Plays 'Smash or Pass' With Iconic Moments From Her Career
March 13, 2024
vkPdJEF2BX4
Jean Smart Wears a Hotel Bathrobe to Present an Award to Hannah Einbinder l Power of Comedy SxSW
March 12, 2024
Bw7uVEYQev4
Lenny Kravitz Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 12, 2024
MlWq8BcnwhE
Dak Prescott Extortion Plot & Steph Curry for President? | TMZ Sports Full Ep - 3/12/24
March 13, 2024
jHFsrjs7OFY
A Japanese space rocket blew up after takeoff Tuesday, turning the sky into a fireball of smoke.
March 13, 2024
YkfJ3Qg8B7c
#KimKardashian and #BiancaCensori hung out at #KanyeWest's listening party Tuesday night!
March 13, 2024
EfwLLq6bx9k
‘Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond denies using Ozempic to lose 60 pounds
March 13, 2024
Omfjk1AlZ3A
Chrissy Teigen reveals her ‘boob lift scars’ in daring dress at Jay-Z & Beyoncé’s Oscars 2024 party
March 13, 2024
VxZ2qXAlpmU
Zoë Kravitz pokes fun at dad Lenny Kravitz's style during Hollywood Walk of Fame speech
March 13, 2024
j3-lcFu_1sQ
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
SC Freiburg - Bayer Leverkusen
17
Mar
USA: Major League Soccer
Atlanta United - Orlando City
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
West Ham United - Aston Villa
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Rayo Vallecano - Real Betis
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Championship
Leeds - Millwall
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Las Palmas - Almeria
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Villarreal - Valencia
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Sevilla - Celta Vigo
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
11
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Chelsea - Newcastle United
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Liverpool - Manchester City
10
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Real Madrid - Celta Vigo
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Aston Villa - Tottenham Hotspur
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Atalanta
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Fiorentina - Roma
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
AC Milan - Empoli
09
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Werder Bremen - Borussia Dortmund
09
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Arsenal - Brentford
09
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Bologna - Inter Milan
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.