Daniel Ricciardo nurses Red Bull home to take composed Monaco Grand Prix victory

Whether he is fielding touchdown passes from Tom Brady on a Monaco super-yacht or persuading Prince Albert and Princess Charlene, the resident royals, to neck champagne straight from the jeroboam, Daniel Ricciardo is one who loves ripping up traditional norms. On the evidence of the Australian’s defensive masterclass around the streets of Monte Carlo, nursing his Red Bull car to victory with only six gears, rather than the full eight, the same is true of his driving.

For all but 18 of 78 laps, Ricciardo was stricken by a serious power issue, scrambling desperately to escape the sight of Sebastian Vettel in his rear-view mirrors. Somehow, despite shredded tyres and a car that was at times 18mph slower than Vettel’s Ferrari on the straights, he held on for glory. There was no repeat of Red Bull’s bungling in 2016, when he lost the lead after an abortive pit-stop, and no encore to compatriot Mark Webber’s impromptu leap into the team swimming pool. The irrepressible Ricciardo preferred to jump straight into the harbour.

Lewis Hamilton, in third, claimed that the 76^th Monaco Grand Prix had left him cold, that the emphasis had been on tyre management at the expense of pure racing. He has even privately asked Prince Albert to consider a redesign of this iconic circuit to make it happen. That view did scant justice to Ricciardo’s performance or to the powers of concentration it had required. Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, said: “It was like he was in Apollo 13.” In 1970, the crew of that ill-starred mission had needed to shepherd their lunar module back to Earth after its oxygen tank exploded. Ricciardo’s win here, as he kept his pursuers at bay despite a loss of 160 horsepower, was borne of the same indomitable spirit.

Some sober voices in the garage suggested that he withdraw, so grave was the engine malfunction. But Ricciardo, now with a seventh win of his career and a racer’s brain to make him the envy of both Mercedes and Ferrari, would not hear of it. With a couple of laps left, when a virtual safety car period finally enabled him to create some breathing space ahead of Vettel, he reassured his race engineer: “I’ve got this, buddy.”   

His employers did not hold back in their admiration. Dr Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s fierce sporting director and not a man to bestow compliments lightly, said: “He managed the problem unbelievably well. I don’t think any other driver could have done it. I was very nervous, but we settled the car, changed the set-up, and Daniel changed his driving style.” It seems strange to recall now, but there was a time when Max Verstappen was perceived as the team’s outstanding talent and Ricciardo struggled to compare. Today, those roles are reversed. As Hamilton put it: “Daniel has a team-mate making a lot more money than him, but he’s much more consistent.”

Verstappen clawed back some kudos at Red Bull after his nightmare in practice, where a now-familiar crash had relegated him to the back of the grid. Weaving through the pack to finish ninth, while taking few of his customary risks, the Dutchman deftly minimised the damage to his weekend. But this was, in every sense, Ricciardo’s moment. He extended a rich Australian tradition at this grand prix, with his triumph sitting alongside Webber’s wins in 2010 and 2012, as well as Jack Brabham’s in 1959. That it came in the principality where he has made his home, and in spite of 60 laps of toil and adversity, made it one to cherish.

“This has been two years in the making,” Ricciardo said, remembering his 2016 near-miss. “I finally feel like the redemption has arrived. We had a lot to deal with during the race. Long before halfway, I felt a loss of power and I thought the race was done. Somehow, we got it home using just six gears. I’m stoked.”

Horner likened his driver’s display to that of Michael Schumacher in 1994, when the German contrived one of his greatest wins in Barcelona, in a Benetton stuck in fifth due to a severe gearbox failure. This was a day, though, that called for a different kind of ingenuity. Not only did Ricciardo have to contend with a misfiring engine, but a set of ultrasoft tyres that kept disintegrating no matter how much he tried to look after them. The result was a strangely compelling containment exercise, as the frontrunners lapped increasingly slowly just to preserve some grip.

Neither Vettel nor Hamilton were too despondent about trailing Ricciardo, knowing that their world championship battle was still likely to be between the two of them. Mercedes expressed annoyance, though, with the naming of James Allison, their technical director, as the figure who triggered an investigation into Ferrari’s engines for a potentially illegal power boost. The Italians have since been cleared, but Toto Wolff, asked if he thought Mercedes had been “thrown under a bus” by the sport’s governing body, said: “Yes. One of my roles is to protect my people, and if they are named it is disturbing.”

4:45PM

That's it from me today. I'll be back in two weeks for the Canadian Grand Prix

That should be a bit more interesting than this one. It will be, actually, I promise you that. We'll leave you with the man with the biggest smile in the whole of Monaco. 

4:38PM

Redemption for Ricciardo

4:28PM

The non-scoring drivers from today's race

11. Ericsson

12. Perez

13. Magnussen

14. Vandoorne

15. Grosjean

16. Sirotkin

17. Stroll

DNF: Leclerc, Hartley, Alonso

4:25PM

The shooey comes out for the second time this season

Will it be the last?

4:24PM

MGU-K issue for Ricciardo, Horner confirms

It was the MGU-K which went in Daniel Ricciardo's car. Christian Horner speaks to Sky Sports F1, saying his team told him they'd have to retire the car within a few laps of it happening.  That's big. He made it look so easy. Sure, there was a little bit of peril but he knew what to do and did it. And that is on a track where a split-second lapse in concentration can end your race.

4:20PM

Post-race recap

• Daniel Ricciardo wins from pole, despite suffering an issue mid-way through the race until the end

• Sebastian Vettel couldn't get close enough to challenge, struggling with his tyres

• Hamilton was a relatively distant third but extracted the maximum out of his car

• Pierre Gasly takes an excellent seventh for Toro Rosso

4:13PM

It's a no-brainer

We wait to see what the actual issue was with Ricciardo's car. It seems like he lost top gear. Which isn't as much of a handicap around here as...well, anywhere else. Still, he drove magnificently with that handicap to the win. That's his second win of the season and he moves up into third in the drivers' standings.

4:10PM

Updated constructor standings

 A poor weekend for McLaren, who take no points.  Another good one for Gasly. A better weekend for Ferrari. 

4:08PM

Updated driver standings

Hamilton loses three points off his lead but he won't be too displeased with that at a track that was unlikely to suit his car. At least Vettel didn't win.  

4:06PM

Your podium...

...some similar hairstyles going on here. 

4:05PM

In a class of his own

4:04PM

Hamilton reacts to third

He's not wrong. The top six finished as they started...without a great deal of action between them.  

4:03PM

Ricciardo reacts to his win

4:01PM

Vettel reacts

4:00PM

The victor

"Give Prince Albert a shooey," Christian Horner says on the radio. Err. Maybe not.

3:59PM

The Top 10 - points for these lads

1. Ricciardo

2. Vettel

3. Hamilton

4. Raikkonen

5. Bottas

6. Ocon

7. Gasly

8. Hulkenberg

9. Verstappen

10. Sainz

3:57PM

DANIEL RICCIARDO WINS THE 2018 MONACO GRAND PRIX!

Bravo!He has deserved it. Supreme. Peerless. Rapid. He will be beaming from ear to ear tonight. Vettel follows him home in second, seven seconds down. Hamilton takes the final podium spot ahead of Raikkonen and Bottas. 

"Cheers boys. Redemption. Ha Ha." is Daniel Ricciardo's message to the team. 

"I do not know how you did that," his team said. We wait to see what actually went wrong 20-odd laps in. 

3:55PM

FINAL LAP

This is Ricciardo's race. He has been a picture of composure since his power unit issue. Nobody has had an answer for his driving. Nobody has been in his league...Gasly very close to Ocon's league, though...

3:54PM

PENULTIMATE LAP

"I got it buddy," says Daniel Ricciardo. He's had it all weekend so far. He won't want to lose it here.  

Bottas within a second of Raikkonen but it's too much for him to get past, surely? Ricciardo starts the final lap with a seven second lead over Vettel. 

3:53PM

Lap 76 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by six seconds from Vettel

That's a big lock up from Vettel going into Massanet! He gets it round there and into the hairpin. 

3:52PM

Lap 75 of 78

Vandoorne keeping pace with Ricciardo on new tyres. Vettel still nowhere. Bottas close to Raikkonen again. 

3:51PM

Lap 74 of 78 - Ricciardo leads Vettel 

It's very, very close between Bottas in P5 and Verstappen in P9...this could be where all the action is. Vettel now FIVE seconds behind Ricciardo!

3:50PM

Lap 73 of 78 VSC ends

Vandoorne comes out of the pit between Ricciardo and Hamilton! Is that it? Is that the win? Vandoorne is a lap down, of course but it is another obstacle for Vettel. Vettel isn't even close to Vandoorne at the moment...

3:49PM

Close up of that smash...

 Ouch. 

3:48PM

LAP 73 of 78 - VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED

Nobody appears to stop under it. That was a brake issue for Leclerc. Nothing he could do about it. A harsh way to finish for the home driver.

3:47PM

Lap 71 of 78

Can't say this race has been a thriller.  There's time for a bit of action in the midfield.  

YELLOW FLAG: Charles Leclerc runs into the back of Brendon Hartley going into the chicane out of the tunnel. Leclerc had a problem there...he's out. Hartley out too. No rear wing...

3:45PM

Lap 70 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 1.6s ahead of Vettel

Ocon now within 1.5s of Bottas. Hard to overtake but we're not short of have-a-go-heroes in this current F1 field. Hamilton now eight seconds behind the leader. 

3:44PM

Lap 69 of 78

Under 10 laps left. Ricciardo clear from traffic until the end of the race, or so his team says. Can he keep his lead and take a memorable win in difficult circumstances?

3:43PM

Lap 68 of 78

Things now starting to look bad for Bottas. It's not just Ocon closing in on him rapidly but also Gasly, Hulkenberg and Verstappen. Still no safety car.

3:41PM

Lap 66 of 78 - Ricciardo leads

Hamilton has dropped back a little. Raikkonen and Bottas also. The gap between Ricciardo and Bottas now around 13 seconds. Ocon closing in on Bottas at around two seconds a lap...

3:39PM

The GAS-HUL-VER fight is shaping up nicely...

They're all going to be sharing the same bit of tarmac soon. Possibly.

3:37PM

14 LAPS TO GO

Top 10:

1. Ricciardo 

2. Vettel

3. Hamilton 

4. Raikkonen 

5. Bottas 

6. Ocon

7. Gasly

8. Hulkenberg

9. Verstappen

10. Sainz

3:36PM

Lap 62 of 78

How long can this go on without someone making some kind of move? Daniel Ricciardo in a Red Bull lacking power keeps his lead. Somehow. Well, through skill, mostly. 

3:34PM

Lap 61 of 78

Ricciardo's lead still just under a second. Hulkenberg now over the back of Gasly, who is in P7. The pace of the midfield runners is very, very sharp at the moment. 

3:32PM

Lap 59 of 78 - Ricciardo leads from Vettel

Daniel Ricciardo is driving supremely here, issue or no issue. Verstappen sets a 1.148, the fastest alp of the race and around 3.5s quicker than the leaders. There's no real window for the leaders to stop safely and get out ahead of Ocon in P6.  Is it time for someone to go for it? We've been playing the waiting game for a long time now

3:30PM

Lap 58 of 78

20 laps to go. Vettel still not gaining any ground. It's no good him destroying these tyres by being within 0.5s of him all lap though. Is he waiting to roll the dice? Will anyone gamble with another stop and a late charge?

3:28PM

Lap 57 of 78 - Sainz and Verstappen in close quarters

Bottas now within DRS range of Raikkonen. Can he do anything about it? 22 laps to go...will the ultrasoft runners at the front need to stop again? Verstappen all over the back of the Renault of Sainz in the first sector of the lap but he cant find a way through...we see a replay of Sainz cutting the chicane to keep the place. He needs to give the place back, surely? Now Verstappen has another go through the chicane and cuts it...but makes it stick! Pick the bones out of that one...

3:26PM

Alonso's stricken McLaren

3:25PM

Lap 54 of 78 - Ricciardo leads from Vettel and Hamilton

Sainz, Hulkenberg and Verstappen now all very close. Sainz needs to let his team-mate through without letting Verstappen through...this is so tricky! Can it be done? They're both flying behind him...a bit of expert driving and he lets the Hulk through at Massanet whilst keeping Verstappen behind him. Nicely done, Renault. Hulkenberg says thanks. 

3:23PM

ALONSO RETIRES FROM THE RACE

Looks like a gearbox problem. He pulls off at Ste Devote as Gasly goes past him and takes seventh place. No VSC. They deal with it quite quickly. Well done marshals. Alonso is the first retirement...

3:22PM

Lap 52 of 78 - The top 12

1. Ricciardo 

2. Vettel

3. Hamilton 

4. Raikkonen 

5. Bottas 

6. Ocon

7. Alonso

8. Gasly

9. Sainz

10. Hulkenberg

11. Verstappen

12. Hartley

3:20PM

DRS watch

I don't recall having ever seen anyone use it in this race...that's not to say it didn't happen. But, yeah. A race of few overtakes, as expected. 

3:19PM

Lap 50 of 78 - Ricciardo leads

Verstappen the quickest man on track at the moment on fresh rubber. Gasly going well, too. He's in ninth. 

Hulkenberg does eventually pit. He puts on hypersoft tyres and comes out ahead of Verstappen...just.

3:17PM

Lap 48 of 78

No safety car yet! Is that a miracle? Let's wait until the end of the race, eh? All 20 runners still going. Alonso up in P8, Hulkenberg in P6 but still yet to stop. A stop would drop him back out between Sainz and Verstappen in P11. 

3:16PM

Lap 47 of 78 - Ricciardo leads

It's interesting...but not exactly exciting. Yet. But it could all happen in the last 20 or so laps. Maybe even the last 15. Hamilton still on the radio about the tyres. Could he pit and put on some better tyres for a late charge? Seems silly when he has a 17-point championship lead. 

3:14PM

Lap 45 of 78

Top five and gaps:

1. Ricciardo 

2. Vettel (+1.8)

3. Hamilton (+3.0)

4. Raikkonen (+5.7)

5. Bottas (+7.6)

3:12PM

Lap 44 of 78 - Ricciardo leads

We will have three cars on the same straight shortly. And there they are. This is becoming reminiscent of the classic in 2011. A classic relative for Monaco, anyway. Ricciardo lapping the quickest of the top five currently though. 

3:10PM

Lap 43 of 78 - Hamilton and Bottas closing in on the leaders

Hamilton is closing in fairly quickly now. Half a second off the leaders on that last lap. Bottas now 8.4s behind the race leader. This race is coming to Mercedes, I think. 

3:08PM

Lap 41 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 1s from Vettel

Over half distance now. The gaps in the top five are mostly being maintained. Hamilton closing in on Vettel and Ricciardo. 

3:07PM

Bottas closes in

3:06PM

Can the frontrunners on the ultrasofts go to the end? That's the big question.

"I can't believe these tyres going to go 40 more laps," says Hamilton.

"All four cars on the utlrasoft look like they're at least in the same condition as you," his race engineer tells him. 

3:04PM

Lap 37 of 78 - Ricciardo leads from Vettel

This is such a hard one to judge. It's so hard to overtake here but if these ultrasofts fall of the cliff, as it were, then losing three or four seconds a lap makes it a hell of a lot easier.  Hamilton steady in P3, by the way. 

3:02PM

Lap 36 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 1.5s 

Getting towards half distance now. Bottas lapping still quicker than the leaders but has fallen back a bit behind Raikkonen. Ricciardo and Vettel lapping very, very slowly now. 1.20s. Hulkenberg set a 1.18.2 last time around...is this coming to Bottas? Ocon and Alonso also on the supersoft tyres in P7 and P8...

3:00PM

Lap 35 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 1.3s

Quite a few of the leaders moaning about the tyres, in particular Hamilton. Will they have to stop again? Could this work out well for the Toro Rosso of Gasly?

Stroll looks to have a front left issue again. What happened?

2:58PM

Lap 34 of 78

Gasly yet to stop in P6. Hulkenberg likewise in P7. They are both lapping quicker than the leaders. Both Williams cars now lapped. Not much progress from either Haas car. They are down in P16 and P18. 

2:57PM

Lap 32 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 1.1s from Vettel

It looks like Vettel is backing off now a little? Or is he going through backmarkers? Either way it's not doing the Ferrari's tyres much good.  Bottas now lapping back in the 1.19s...

2:55PM

Lap 31 of 78

Top 12:

1. Ricciardo

2. Vettel 

3. Hamilton

4. Raikkonen

5. Bottas

6. Gasly

7. Hulkenberg

8. Ocon

9. Alonso

10. Verstappen

11. Sainz

12. Hartley

2:53PM

"Will it get better?" 

Asks Ricciardo. 

"Negative. Negative." is the reply. This could be a long race for him...Bottas now within 0.5s of Raikkonen and lapping well on the supersofts. 

2:52PM

Lap 29 of 78 - Ricciardo leads from Vettel

Ricciardo actually quicker than Vettel on the last lap. But it still doesn't look good. 

2:51PM

Lap 27 of 78 - Ricciardo leads from Vettel but has power issues

This looks bad for Ricciardo. Vettel is nearly within a second. Even if he has power issues it's difficult to overtake. Only 0.3s Vettel took out of him on that lap...his team tell him to keep it smooth and keep it focus, telling him they know what's going on...

2:50PM

PROBLEMS FOR RICCIARDO?

"Losing power," he says on the radio. Vettel is close but I don't think he's closing up? I lie, actually he is. He took 0.6s from his lead in that lap and 0.4 in the first sector of the next lap. Oh dear. Oh dear. Oh dear. 

2:48PM

Lap 26 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 1.4s from Vettel

Vettel laping very similarly to the Aussie out front. Gasly in P6 and Hulkenberg in P7 yet to stop. Likewise Verstappen into P10. Into the points. 

2:46PM

Lap 25 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 1.5s from Vettel

Bottas still taking a huge amount of time from the leaders. Over 1.7s from Ricciardo on the last lap. He's 17s behind, though...

2:45PM

This was a close one...

Verstappen not past Alonso yet but Vandoorne has now pitted. 

2:44PM

Lap 23 of 78

A penalty for Brendon Hartley for speeding in the pitlane. Raikkonen closing in on Hamilton. It's tightening up, up front. 

2:43PM

Lap 21 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 1.6 ahead of Vettel

Vettel closes the gap by 0.4s on the last lap. Bottas gets past Ocon on the track and moves up into fifth and still made up nearly a second on the leader. Tyre preservation for the leaders, it seems. Will they need to pit again?

2:40PM

Lap 20 of 78 - Bottas flying

He laps 1.8s quicker than Ricciardo and Vettel and over 2s quicker than Hamilton...those supersofts are working very well for the Finn...

2:39PM

Pitlane action

2:39PM

Lap 19 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 2.6s from Vettel

The top two are struggling to warm up their tyres it seems. Hamilton takes over half a second out of them. Alonso pits and comes out just ahead of his team-mate Vandoorne. Verstappen still not past the Belgian. 

2:37PM

Lap 18 of 78

Top 10:

1. Ricciardo

2. Vettel (+3.095)

3. Hamilton

4. Raikkonen

5. Ocon

6. Alonso

7. Bottas

8. Perez

9. Gasly

10. Hulkenberg

2:36PM

Lap 16 of 78 - RICCIARDO PITS

It's a quick stop for Red Bull. The Australian comes out back into the lead with a fair few seconds between him and Vettel. A clean stop, unlike the one that cost him victory in 2016. That should be his only stop...Bottas also stops and comes out on a contrary set of tyres - the supersofts...

2:34PM

Lap 15 of 78 - VETTEL PITS

Where will he come out? He goes onto the ultrasofts...and comes out ahead of Bottas and Hamilton. Verstappen getting close to the back of Vandoorne's McLaren. Ricciardo looking very nice at the moment out there...

2:33PM

Lap 14 of 78

A few drivers complaining about debris now. Sergey Sirotkin was under investigation for his mechanics working on his car during the 10-second stop/go penalty. Nothing comes of it though but now Hartley is under investigation for speeding in the pitlane. 

2:32PM

Lap 13 of 78 - Ricciardo leads from Vettel

Hamilton has passed Ocon for fifth so needs to get on with it and pump in the quick lap times in clean air. Raikkonen's team think he can undercut Hamilton. They can't - it'd be an overcut, not an undercut. They think they can get out ahead of them, either way. 

2:30PM

Lap 12 of 78

Lance Stroll ran into the back of a Sauber there, it looks like. Daniel Ricciardo and Vettel stay out. Ricciardo now into the 1.15s. Mega. His lead is 2.696s at the end of lap 12. 

2:29PM

  Lap 11 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 1.9s

HAMILTON PITS!They saw a gap to get them out in front of Alonso. They put on the ultrasofts...the Briton comes out behind Ocon in sixth but ahead of Alonso. That's worked out nicely for the champ! Will Red Bull react?!

2:28PM

Lap 10 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 1.8s

Verstappen now dueling with Leclerc for P13. Ricciardo punching in quicker and quicker times now. 

2:26PM

Lap 9 of 78 - Ricciardo leads from Vettel and Hamilton

Lance Stroll has a front-left puncture and he crawls into the pit-lane. Not sure where he picked that one up. Williams's race is coming undone very quickly. The frontrunners don't quite reach him before he dives in to change his front wing and put on the supersofts. That should be him until the end. 

2:25PM

Max's move into the chicane

 He hasn't hit another car yet. 

2:24PM

Lap 7 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 1.8s

Nobody in the top 13 within DRS distance of the car ahead. Ricciardo sets a 1.17.110 while Vettel and Hamilton go just into the 1.16s with impressive laps. The field stretching out behind Bottas in fifth now. Ocon 6s away from Bottas, Alonso 6s away from Ocon. 

2:22PM

Lap 6 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 1.7s

Not much happening at the front of the field but Verstappen is getting lively as he sends one down the inside of Stroll going into the harbour chicane. He's up to P14 now. 

2:21PM

10 SECOND STOP GO PENALTY FOR SIROTKIN

That's a lot of time lost. Probably even 25-30 seconds. Ouch, ouch, ouch. That will be a painful one. He is running in P12 currently. 

2:20PM

Lap 5 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 1.5s

Top 10:

1. Ricciardo

2. Vettel

3. Hamilton

4. Raikkonen

5. Bottas

6. Ocon

7. Alonso

8. Sainz

9. Perez

10. Gasly

2:19PM

Lap 4 of 78 - Ricciardo leads

Vettel posts a 1.17.488 to reduce Ricciardo's lead to 1.4. Verstappen, meanwhile, is up to P17, taking Ericsson into Mirebeau. Clinical. 

2:18PM

The cars going into Ste Devote

2:18PM

Lap 3 of 78 - Ricciardo leads by 1.6s ahead of Vettel

The top six lapping around the low 1.18s apart from Ricciardo, who is in the 1.17s. Sirotkin has moved ahead of Vandoorne. In fact the top 11 are exactly as they were at the start...

2:16PM

Lap 2 of 78

Ricciardo leads from Vettel by 1.3s at the end of the lap. Grosjean is in last and complains on the radio about someone putting him off - of the track presumably. I think the top 10 are exactly as they were at the start...

2:14PM

LIGHTS OUT FOR THE 2018 MONACO GRAND PRIX

Verstappen the last of the drivers to take his place on the grid. Toto Wolff looks on pensively...

LIGHTS OUT! Quick start for Ricciardo who leads from Vettel and Hamilton into the first turn. Vettel closes up going into Massanet but that's as near as he gets.

Ricciardo leads by a few car lengths going into the hairpin...Verstappen has made up two places already. Not much action down there - but what's this? Hartley has lost his front wing he says - yellow flags in sector two. 

2:11PM

FORMATION LAP UNDERWAY

Everyone gets away. Sirotkin's wheels were not fitted at the three-minute signal. Should be a penalty. Which will be painful, given how well he did here yesterday. A cross-threaded wheelnut according to Ted Kravitz of Sky Sports F1. 

2:10PM

Everyone apart from Sirotkin and Hartley started on fresh ultrasofts

Hartley and Sirotkin on fresh hypersofts, hoping for some progress early on. 

2:08PM

Reminder that the FIA found nothing wrong with Ferrari's power unit system...

...which was under investigation. A relief for the Scuderia. Can they eat into Mercedes' and Hamilton's leads in both championships today?

2:05PM

Kimi as cool as ever...

2:05PM

Five minutes to go...

Max Verstappen needed to replace his MGU-K. He'll take a grid drop at the next race. It gets worse for the young Dutchman. The rain appears to have stopped so the track shouldn't be too greasy. Prepare for some punchy moves on the first lap. 

2:00PM

Today's weather...

1:57PM

Just under 15 minutes to go...

Here are a few things to look out for in the race

• The optimal strategy is to start on the ultrasoft tyres and move to the supersofts. The top 10 start on used hypersofts, though. How long will they last? Nico Hulkenberg could be an outside bet for some decent points. He starts in P11. Sirotkin might be worth watching, too. 

• What can the Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc do in his home Grand Prix? He starts in P14 and is aiming for his third points finish in a row

• Can Alonso finish in the top 8 for the sixth race in a row?

• Traffic - it's notoriously difficult to find space on the track here and a poorly-timed pit stop could see drivers come out in in traffic. Teams will have to be on their A-game to get those calls correct

• Safety car: when it appears not if...

1:52PM

Today's grid - top 10

 First corner will be interesting, as ever. 

1:51PM

Today's grid - bottom 10

1:47PM

This is Albert Hammond Jr, formerly of The Strokes and Justyna Hammond Jr, his wife.

Oh, and an F1 driver. Polesitter Daniel Ricciardo. Is This It for Ricciardo? Will he manage to win at Monaco for the first time?

1:39PM

Today's track...

It looks better in real life. Or even on TV. But here are its vital statistics. Best places for overtaking turn one and turn 10. 

1:35PM

We rate the drivers after the first five races...who needs to do their homework?

1:31PM

Remembering Jules Bianchi

The Frenchman scored a memorable points finish here in 2014 for Marussia. What a talent he was. 

1:23PM

You don't see this at Silverstone...

...that's Superbowl winner, New England Patriots quarterback and GOAT Tom Brady throwing across the Monaco harbour to Daniel Ricciardo on a boat while Bella Hadid and Geri Horner look on. 

 It looks like Bella Hadid is wearing one of those things you put around your airport duty free bottle of scotch. A very big one. 

1:19PM

Lewis Hamilton on yesterday's qualifying and the deficit to Red Bull this weekend

1:16PM

Driver standings: the top 10

1 Lewis Hamilton GBR MERCEDES 95

2 Sebastian Vettel GER FERRARI 78

3 Valtteri Bottas FIN MERCEDES 58

4 Kimi Räikkönen FIN FERRARI 48

5 Daniel Ricciardo AUS RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 47

6 Max Verstappen NED RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 33

7 Fernando Alonso ESP MCLAREN RENAULT 32

8 Nico Hulkenberg GER RENAULT 22

9 Kevin Magnussen DEN HAAS FERRARI 19

10 Carlos Sainz ESP RENAULT 19

1:12PM

Weather update from Channel 4's Karun Chandhok

Oooooh. About an hour to go until lights out. Will it get any heavier? Even if it doesn't a greasy track isn't ideal...

1:09PM

That Max Verstappen crash that cost him a place in qualifying (and possibly one on the front row)

Very similar to one in 2016. Almost identical. 

1:05PM

Telegraph Chief Sports Feature Writer Oliver Brown on Max Verstappen's woes

Read his full report on yesterday's action.  

1:00PM

Qualifying notes

• Renault's Carlos Sainz made it into Q3 for the sixth time in six races - he is the only driver outside of the top three teams to do that. Incidentally Max Verstappen is the only driver inside the top three teams not to make it into Q3 in every race

• Fernando Alonso maintains a perfect qualifying record over his McLaren team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne. He is the only driver to have a 6-0 record over this team-mate

• Charles Leclerc qualified in P14 for Sauber for the third race in a row. That's three consecutive Q3 appearances. Marcus Ericsson in the other Sauber has never made it into Q3 this year

• Sergey Sirotkin deserves a mention for his P13 in qualifying - five places ahead of Lance Stroll. It's his second and Williams's fourth Q2 (out of a possbible 12) appearance this year

• In taking pole Daniel Ricciardo became the only man to top all six sessions in a Grand Prix weekend in 2018

12:53PM

Only half a job for Daniel Ricciardo so far...

He'll want to make up for the win he lost through team error at a pit stop in 2016. He has been virtually peerless so far. Sunday is another thing, though.  

12:43PM

Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix

There has been one man to beat around the twisty, tight streets of Monte Carlo this weekend: Daniel Ricciardo. The Red Bull driver has been fastest in every single session; three of practice and three of qualifying. He took pole by around 0.2 seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel in second and Lewis Hamilton in third. 

On a track where overtaking is so difficult pole is a massive advantage. But the polesitter in Monaco hasn't won the Grand Prix since 2014, when Nico Rosberg - a three-time winner around here - won from the front grid slot in his Mercedes. But that counts for nothing today and being on pole is massively important. Not as important as being the leader after the first turn, though, but you get the idea. 

The Red Bull is the quickest package at Monaco this year but the fortunes of Ricciardo have again varied greatly to those of his team-mate, Max Verstappen. The Dutchman, who has had an incident and controversy-filled season, crashed heavily coming out of the swimming pool complex (as he did two years ago) in final practice.

His mechanics were unable to repair his car in time for qualifying, so he will start from the back row of the grid in the quickest car.  He should have been challenging his team-mate for pole. Disaster is not too harsh a word for this series of events. In racing terms, at least. 

As for the race: it's a little more mixed up than it has been. Five different teams were eliminated from Q1 yesterday and a fair few drivers outqualified their team-mates by three or more places. If Daniel Ricciardo can get out of Ste Devote in the lead then the race behind him between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton - who sit second and first in the drivers' championship respectively - will be worth closely monitoring.  On a short track traffic is an issue in the race and coming out into clean air and making the undercut or overcut work are crucial to maximising your race potential.

Danger, and indeed the safety car, are never far away in Monaco and it'd be a massive surprise if we didn't see a race with its deployment. One mistake - whether a locked brake or a poorly-executed overtaking manoeuvre - can lead to a trip into the barriers.  We'll update you in a short while with a few pointers on key things to look out for in the race. 

I'll be here for all the build-up, live updates and reaction from the Monaco Grand Prix for the next couple of hours. There might not be a ton of overtaking but there might be a decent amount of drama.