The Circuit de Monaco the sixth race of the 2016 Formula 1 season and follows the dramatic Spanish Grand Prix, where the Mercedes duo collided and Max Verstappen claimed a landmark first win.
It is the 63rd running of the event, having debuted on the F1 calendar in its debut season in 1950 and becoming a staple event on the schedule from 1955.
FP1
Lewis Hamilton set the pace during an incident-filled first practice session of the Monaco GP weekend, as the series returned to the Monte Carlo streets on Thursday.
The British driver put in a 1:15.537 on the new Pirelli ultra-soft tyre to go quickest, one tenth clear of team-mate Nico Rosberg. Sebastian Vettel was third, four tenths adrift.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Verstappen were fourth and fifth, with Daniil Kvyat sixth for Toro Rosso and the Force India duo of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez next up.
Kimi Raikkonen and Carlos Sainz Jr. rounded out the top 10. Felipe Massa and Jolyon Palmer both found the wall while Esteban Gutierrez’s stopped Haas also brought out a Virtual Safety Car.
Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button’s sessions ended with drama. The former picked up a puncture after running over a manhole cover and the loose debris then hit Button’s car, damaging the front-right corner.
FP2
Ricciardo moved to the front of the pack in second practice on Thursday afternoon, clocking a 1:14.607 on the ultra-sot to finish over half a second clear of the two Mercedes cars.
Hamilton was second and Rosberg was third, ahead of Verstappen, Toro Rosso’s Kvyat and Sainz and Raikkonen’s Ferrari. Perez, Vettel and Button completed the top 10.
Vettel spun twice, damaging his rear wing at one point when he clipped the Mirabeau barrier. He later tagged the Ste Devote wall too.
Romain Grosjean and Rio Haryanto both crashed at the Nouvelle Chicane but the Haas driver was able to continue, while the Manor was forced out of the session.
Shortly after the session resumed, following a VSC, Kevin Magnussen found the wall with his Renault RS16 at Anthony Noghes, rounding out another eventful 90 minutes of running.
FP3
Vettel set the pace for Ferrari in final practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, just beating the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Rosberg.
The German driver set the quickest time towards the end of the session on the ultra-soft tyre with a 1:14.650, finishing just 0.018 seconds ahead of Hamilton.
Rosberg was one tenth further back, with Ricciardo and Verstappen next up. The Dutch driver touched the wall at Massenet but he was able to continue with minimal damage. Kvyat, Sain, Perez, Raikkonen and Hulkenberg completed the top 10.
Magnussen was 16th and Grosjean was 17th. They were two of many drivers to take to the Saint Devote escape road during FP3.
Palmer was another driver who hit the barriers. He spun at the Swimming Pool chicane and grazed the wall, but he was able to return to the track after repairs.
Qualifying
Ricciardo stormed to pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix after a stunning lap around the Circuit de Monaco in qualifying.
The Australian made it through to Q3 despite setting his Q2 time on the super-soft tyre, which he will start the race on if conditions remain dry.
He put in a 1m13.622 to take pole, finishing just ahead of Rosberg. Hamilton was third despite an early engine issue.
Vettel, Hulkenberg and Raikkonen – who has a grid penalty for a gearbox change were next up. Sainz, Perez, Kvyat and Alonso completed the top 10.
It was a disappointing second segment of qualifying for Williams, with Bottas and Massa both dropping out in 11th and 14th.
They were split by Gutierrez in the Haas and Button’s McLaren. Grosjean and Magnussen were the final drivers to be eliminated.
Marcus Ericsson was the first driver eliminated in qualifying, failing to move out of the drop-zone with his final lap. Palmer was next up in 18th, ahead of Rio Haryanto and Pascal Wehrlein in the two Manor cars.
Verstappen crashed out in the session after clipping the inside wall at the second Swimming Pool chicane and going straight on into the wall. He will start 21st.
Felipe Nasr also failed to put in a competitive laptime after a dramatic engine failure in the opening stages. Both incidents caused red flags.
Race
Heavy rain throughout the morning meant the Monaco GP started behind the safety car, with all 22 drivers on the full wet tyres.
Ricciardo led the field away. Kvyat rapidly dropped down the field with an issue, stuck in constant speed. He pitted several times, even changing steering wheels, but after a few laps the problem appeared to be resolved. However, the Russian was one lap down.
With conditions improving, the race got properly underway on lap eight. Conditions remained tricky but Ricciardo had a strong start, leading Rosberg, Hamilton, Vettel and Hulkenberg. Magnussen immediately pitted for intermediates.
Palmer lost the rear of his Renault on lap nine and hit the wall on the pit straight, sliding along the barrier to Saint Devote. The Virtual Safety Car was deployed, with several drivers - including Button and Nasr - diving into the pits for intermediate tyres.
Ricciardo opened up a small lead over the Mercedes pair when the race resumed. Raikkonen went on and hit the wall at the hairpin, then struggled to turn at the following corner, boxing in Grosjean. The Ferrari retired while Grosjean continued. Verstappen pitted for the intermediate Pirelli rubber on lap 12. Vettel also stopped on the following tour for the same tyre compound.
Ricciardo's lead was up to 10 seconds and he continued to set fastest laps. Rosberg appeared to be struggling more in the conditions and he started to hold up Hamilton.
Hamilton moved ahead of Rosberg moments later, the championship leader was slow out of the first corner - probably after a radio message from Mercedes. Hamilton was immediately faster than Ricciardo and quickly started to claw back ground.
There were several trains forming on track. Button and Verstappen both made beautiful moves on Wehrlein and Nasr at the Nouvelle Chicane, while Bottas then tried to make a move on the Manor and cut the corner. Verstappen moved ahead of Wehrlein too and Bottas had to let both cars through.
Kvyat and Magnussen collided at Rascasse, despite the former being a lap down, and brought out the yellow flags in sector three. Ricciardo pitted for intermediates on lap 24, with Hamilton staying out. The Red Bull quickly caught up to Hamilton, was the Mercedes waiting to switch to slicks?
Ericsson was the first to go onto slicks, choosing the ultra-softs. Perez, Button and Magnussen then stopped for dry compounds, as the conditions continued to improve. Hamilton and Ricciardo were separated by just a handful of tenths for several laps, before the W07 pitted for the ultra-softs on lap 32.
Sauber's early stop triggered a whole host of drivers to dive into the pits for dry tyres, with a range of compounds being selected. Ricciardo pitted one lap later but it was a very slow stop for Red Bull, as the tyres were not ready. It cost him heavily as he emerged just behind Hamilton. However, he seemed more confident on the super-softs compared to Hamilton's ultra-softs and was soon glued to the Mercedes' gearbox.
Verstappen brought out the VSC on lap 35 after hitting the wall and retiring at Massenet. Magussen also exited the race, ending Renault's disastrous day. The race resumed under green flags and Ricciardo was all over the back of Hamilton. Perez, Vettel and Alonso moved ahead of Rosberg in the pitstop phase.
Hamilton found some pace and started to match Ricciardo's times, while Perez and Vettel started to close in on the leaders. Nasr was told to let Ericsson through but the two collided at Rascasse, with the VSC making another appearance while the debris was cleared. Both eventually retired. Rosberg tried a move on Alonso at the chicane but went straight on and had to give the place back.
Ricciardo slowly started to lose ground to Hamilton in the closing laps, while track and air temperatures fell and drops of rain arrived. Hamilton crossed the line to score his first win of the 2016 F1 season and second in Monaco, with Ricciardo in second and Perez completing the podium after a strong performance.
Vettel was just behind in fourth, with Alonso in fifth and Hulkenberg just beating Rosberg to sixth. Sainz, Button and Massa rounded out the top 10. Bottas, Gutierrez, Grosjean, Wehrlein and Haryanto were the final finishers.
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| © Octane Photographic |
FP1
Lewis Hamilton set the pace during an incident-filled first practice session of the Monaco GP weekend, as the series returned to the Monte Carlo streets on Thursday.
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| © Octane Photographic |
The British driver put in a 1:15.537 on the new Pirelli ultra-soft tyre to go quickest, one tenth clear of team-mate Nico Rosberg. Sebastian Vettel was third, four tenths adrift.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Verstappen were fourth and fifth, with Daniil Kvyat sixth for Toro Rosso and the Force India duo of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez next up.
Kimi Raikkonen and Carlos Sainz Jr. rounded out the top 10. Felipe Massa and Jolyon Palmer both found the wall while Esteban Gutierrez’s stopped Haas also brought out a Virtual Safety Car.
Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button’s sessions ended with drama. The former picked up a puncture after running over a manhole cover and the loose debris then hit Button’s car, damaging the front-right corner.
FP2
Ricciardo moved to the front of the pack in second practice on Thursday afternoon, clocking a 1:14.607 on the ultra-sot to finish over half a second clear of the two Mercedes cars.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Hamilton was second and Rosberg was third, ahead of Verstappen, Toro Rosso’s Kvyat and Sainz and Raikkonen’s Ferrari. Perez, Vettel and Button completed the top 10.
Vettel spun twice, damaging his rear wing at one point when he clipped the Mirabeau barrier. He later tagged the Ste Devote wall too.
Romain Grosjean and Rio Haryanto both crashed at the Nouvelle Chicane but the Haas driver was able to continue, while the Manor was forced out of the session.
Shortly after the session resumed, following a VSC, Kevin Magnussen found the wall with his Renault RS16 at Anthony Noghes, rounding out another eventful 90 minutes of running.
FP3
Vettel set the pace for Ferrari in final practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, just beating the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Rosberg.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
The German driver set the quickest time towards the end of the session on the ultra-soft tyre with a 1:14.650, finishing just 0.018 seconds ahead of Hamilton.
Rosberg was one tenth further back, with Ricciardo and Verstappen next up. The Dutch driver touched the wall at Massenet but he was able to continue with minimal damage. Kvyat, Sain, Perez, Raikkonen and Hulkenberg completed the top 10.
Magnussen was 16th and Grosjean was 17th. They were two of many drivers to take to the Saint Devote escape road during FP3.
Palmer was another driver who hit the barriers. He spun at the Swimming Pool chicane and grazed the wall, but he was able to return to the track after repairs.
Qualifying
Ricciardo stormed to pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix after a stunning lap around the Circuit de Monaco in qualifying.
The Australian made it through to Q3 despite setting his Q2 time on the super-soft tyre, which he will start the race on if conditions remain dry.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
He put in a 1m13.622 to take pole, finishing just ahead of Rosberg. Hamilton was third despite an early engine issue.
Vettel, Hulkenberg and Raikkonen – who has a grid penalty for a gearbox change were next up. Sainz, Perez, Kvyat and Alonso completed the top 10.
It was a disappointing second segment of qualifying for Williams, with Bottas and Massa both dropping out in 11th and 14th.
They were split by Gutierrez in the Haas and Button’s McLaren. Grosjean and Magnussen were the final drivers to be eliminated.
Marcus Ericsson was the first driver eliminated in qualifying, failing to move out of the drop-zone with his final lap. Palmer was next up in 18th, ahead of Rio Haryanto and Pascal Wehrlein in the two Manor cars.
Verstappen crashed out in the session after clipping the inside wall at the second Swimming Pool chicane and going straight on into the wall. He will start 21st.
Felipe Nasr also failed to put in a competitive laptime after a dramatic engine failure in the opening stages. Both incidents caused red flags.
Race
Heavy rain throughout the morning meant the Monaco GP started behind the safety car, with all 22 drivers on the full wet tyres.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Ricciardo led the field away. Kvyat rapidly dropped down the field with an issue, stuck in constant speed. He pitted several times, even changing steering wheels, but after a few laps the problem appeared to be resolved. However, the Russian was one lap down.
With conditions improving, the race got properly underway on lap eight. Conditions remained tricky but Ricciardo had a strong start, leading Rosberg, Hamilton, Vettel and Hulkenberg. Magnussen immediately pitted for intermediates.
Palmer lost the rear of his Renault on lap nine and hit the wall on the pit straight, sliding along the barrier to Saint Devote. The Virtual Safety Car was deployed, with several drivers - including Button and Nasr - diving into the pits for intermediate tyres.
Ricciardo opened up a small lead over the Mercedes pair when the race resumed. Raikkonen went on and hit the wall at the hairpin, then struggled to turn at the following corner, boxing in Grosjean. The Ferrari retired while Grosjean continued. Verstappen pitted for the intermediate Pirelli rubber on lap 12. Vettel also stopped on the following tour for the same tyre compound.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Ricciardo's lead was up to 10 seconds and he continued to set fastest laps. Rosberg appeared to be struggling more in the conditions and he started to hold up Hamilton.
Hamilton moved ahead of Rosberg moments later, the championship leader was slow out of the first corner - probably after a radio message from Mercedes. Hamilton was immediately faster than Ricciardo and quickly started to claw back ground.
There were several trains forming on track. Button and Verstappen both made beautiful moves on Wehrlein and Nasr at the Nouvelle Chicane, while Bottas then tried to make a move on the Manor and cut the corner. Verstappen moved ahead of Wehrlein too and Bottas had to let both cars through.
Kvyat and Magnussen collided at Rascasse, despite the former being a lap down, and brought out the yellow flags in sector three. Ricciardo pitted for intermediates on lap 24, with Hamilton staying out. The Red Bull quickly caught up to Hamilton, was the Mercedes waiting to switch to slicks?
Ericsson was the first to go onto slicks, choosing the ultra-softs. Perez, Button and Magnussen then stopped for dry compounds, as the conditions continued to improve. Hamilton and Ricciardo were separated by just a handful of tenths for several laps, before the W07 pitted for the ultra-softs on lap 32.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Sauber's early stop triggered a whole host of drivers to dive into the pits for dry tyres, with a range of compounds being selected. Ricciardo pitted one lap later but it was a very slow stop for Red Bull, as the tyres were not ready. It cost him heavily as he emerged just behind Hamilton. However, he seemed more confident on the super-softs compared to Hamilton's ultra-softs and was soon glued to the Mercedes' gearbox.
Verstappen brought out the VSC on lap 35 after hitting the wall and retiring at Massenet. Magussen also exited the race, ending Renault's disastrous day. The race resumed under green flags and Ricciardo was all over the back of Hamilton. Perez, Vettel and Alonso moved ahead of Rosberg in the pitstop phase.
Hamilton found some pace and started to match Ricciardo's times, while Perez and Vettel started to close in on the leaders. Nasr was told to let Ericsson through but the two collided at Rascasse, with the VSC making another appearance while the debris was cleared. Both eventually retired. Rosberg tried a move on Alonso at the chicane but went straight on and had to give the place back.
Ricciardo slowly started to lose ground to Hamilton in the closing laps, while track and air temperatures fell and drops of rain arrived. Hamilton crossed the line to score his first win of the 2016 F1 season and second in Monaco, with Ricciardo in second and Perez completing the podium after a strong performance.
Vettel was just behind in fourth, with Alonso in fifth and Hulkenberg just beating Rosberg to sixth. Sainz, Button and Massa rounded out the top 10. Bottas, Gutierrez, Grosjean, Wehrlein and Haryanto were the final finishers.
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