F1 Monaco Grand Prix 2023 LIVE! Race result, updates and latest news as Max Verstappen wins in rain

F1 Monaco Grand Prix LIVE!

Max Verstappen survived a rain shower and the looming threat of Fernando Alonso to secure an impressive victory at a one-sided F1 Monaco Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who beat Alonso to pole position by just 0.084 seconds, kept his cool in the slippery conditions to lead Sunday's 78-lap race, which lasted nearly two hours from start to finish, as he secured his fourth win of the season.

Alonso finished 27.9 seconds behind the Red Bull driver with Esteban Ocon third for Alpine, as the Frenchman claimed only the third podium of his career. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell took advantage of the rain to cross the line in fourth and fifth respectively for Mercedes.

Sergio Perez started last after he crashed out of qualifying and finished 16th following a terrible race for the Mexican driver which included five pit stops. With Perez failing to score, Verstappen extended his lead in the standings from 14 to 39 points after six rounds of 22.

Monaco Grand Prix highlights

• LIGHTS OUT! Monaco Grand Prix begins

• RAIN! Drizzle hits track with 26 laps to go

• CHEQUERED FLAG! Verstappen wins

Thanks for joining us!

16:13 , Marc Mayo

It was a fascinating end to a Monaco Grand Prix that looked to only be heading in one direction.

Alas, Max Verstappen overcome the rain to ensure he remains right on track for a third-straight title.

Recap the action with our race report!

Next week...

16:09 , Marc Mayo

Join us again for the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya!

Time for the podium

16:09 , Marc Mayo

Jubilation from Esteban Ocon as he receives his third-place trophy before the Dutch and Austrian national anthems get their weekly airing in F1.

The Monagesque royalty then pose for the official phot before hopping off the stage for the champagne!

A very solid day for Mercedes

16:03 , Marc Mayo

Esteban Ocon reacts to his podium

16:02 , Marc Mayo

“Podium baby!

“We didn’t put a foot wrong all weekend.”

Fernando Alonso up next

16:00 , Marc Mayo

“It was difficult, we opted to start on the hard tyre to play the long game.

“Max drove super well in that first stint, so we didn’t have any chance.”

Max Verstappen gives his reaction

15:58 , Marc Mayo

“It was quite a difficult one, with Fernando on the hard tyre. We didn’t want to go that long but we had to. The tyres were graining, the pace picked up a bit but still very tricky to drive.

“We had to make a call to go to the Inters, it was incredibly slippery.

“Hit the wall a few times, it was quite difficult out there. But that’s Monaco.”

The people’s champion

15:57 , Marc Mayo

A superb podium for Esteban Ocon

15:54 , Marc Mayo

The first Frenchman on the Monaco podium since Olivier Panis in 1996.

CHEQUERED FLAG!

15:53 , Marc Mayo

Max Verstappen wins the Monaco Grand Prix!

Final lap!

15:52 , Marc Mayo

Another memorable Monaco Grand Prix is nearly in the history books.

Lap 77/78

15:52 , Marc Mayo

Hamilton still has the fastest lap point as we near the chequered flag and Russell had a comfortable lead on Leclerc despite his five-second penalty.

Kevin Magnussen calls it a day

15:49 , Marc Mayo

Our second DNF of the day.

Three laps to go

15:48 , Marc Mayo

Not many battles left out on track but Sainz is eyeing up Gasly for seventh place, just under a second behind.

Keeping it out of the wall is the big task for most of the runners still left out there!

Lap 73/78

15:45 , Marc Mayo

For the fifth time today, Perez pits for new tyres and straps on some Inters - potentially to take Hamilton’s fastest lap point off him from 17th place.

Lap 72/78

15:43 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen clips the wall with his right-rear tyre but no damage as he continues onwards. Alonso and Ocon are looking cosy enough for joining him on the podium, with Hamilton kept around 1.8 seconds behind the Alpine.

Lap 71/78

15:42 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen assures Red Bull that Intermediates are the tyres for the rest of the race.

Back at AlphaTauri, Tsunoda complains his brakes are shot as he drifts wide at Sainte Devote and drops to 15th.

Lap 69/78

15:40 , Marc Mayo

Norris gets Tsunoda into ninth place with Piastri not far behind in getting the AlphaTauri for what looks like a double-points finish for McLaren.

Tsunoda then goes into the run-off at Mirabeau and has to reverse out! Ocon and Hamilton steer around his car with the Japanese driver now down into 13th on his 50th F1 race.

Lap 67/78

15:36 , Marc Mayo

Perez says the track is drying “quickly” but surely not quickly enough for it to be worth swapping back to dry tyres before the chequered flag.

Lap 66/78

15:33 , Marc Mayo

Top ten as we enter the final stages

1. Verstappen

2. Alonso

3. Ocon

4. Hamilton

5. Russell

6. Leclerc

7. Gasly

8. Sainz

9. Tsunoda

10. Norris

Another penalty

15:31 , Marc Mayo

Ten seconds for Hulkenberg for not serving his five-second penalty at his pit stop.

We’re also hearing that rain is easing up...

Lap 64/78

15:31 , Marc Mayo

Russell asks Mercedes to be let past Hamilton and ensure he doesn’t drop to within five seconds of Leclerc.

That’s kindly rejected though, given he’s already 6.9-seconds ahead of the Ferrari and it’s growing.

Our first retirement

15:29 , Marc Mayo

We spotted an Aston Martin entering the run-off amid the chaos with Russell and Magnussen a few laps ago, and it’s confirmed Stroll has retired due to damage.

Lap 61/78

15:26 , Marc Mayo

This race is bonkers. So many incidents, it’s impossible to keep on top of them all!

Sargeant had to reverse and re-try the Hairpin after almost hitting the barrier.

Alonso has got to within 16 seconds of Verstappen while Perez is on full Wets to data gather for Red Bull.

Lap 59/78

15:24 , Marc Mayo

Russell has a five-second penalty for an unsafe rejoin after running wide and hitting Perez. He’s 6.1-seconds ahead of Leclerc.

And Magnussen is off AGAIN! Full wets not enough to prevent him flying into the run-off at Sainte Devote, but he avoids the wall.

Matt Majendie in Monaco

15:23 , Marc Mayo

Well, it looks like Alonso’s hopes for a race victory will have to wait. Well, he’s waited a decade already so what’s another weekend.

His teammate Lance Stroll nearly did him a favour by crashing and potentially bringing out the safety car but managed to pull a safe spot to pull over.

Racing continues as normal with Alonso 21 seconds clear. What a howler by Aston Martin with regards to those tyre choices.

Magnussen in the wall!

15:22 , Marc Mayo

No safety car though as the Haas hits the wall at La Rascasse just before reaching the pits for full Wet tyres. He’ll need a new front wing, too.

Lap 58/78

15:20 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen has a 22-second lead on Alonso after that mad decision to pit the Spaniard for Hards just as the rain hit.

Lap 57/78

15:18 , Marc Mayo

Ferrari double-stack their drivers for Intermediates and Leclerc comes out sixth, Sainz eighth with Gasly in between them!

That means Mercedes benefit, Hamilton now fourth right behind Ocon and Russel fifth about ten seconds back.

Lap 56/78

15:17 , Marc Mayo

Sainz spins off but keeps it rolling at Mirabeau!

The rain is far too hard for the slicks to manage.

Verstappen pits for Intermediates and Alonso is back in to pit AGAIN.

Lap 55/78

15:15 , Marc Mayo

Alonso pits for SLICKS! Medium tyres bolted onto the Aston Martin, with the team having seen Stroll’s times on Inters and deciding it’s not worth it.

Hamilton, Russell and Ocon pit for inters straight after!

Lap 54/78

15:14 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen tells team radio he’s having to drive “super slow” with his tyres shot anyway.

Red Bull say it may have to be “survival” around Mirabeau for now.

Lap 53/78

15:12 , Marc Mayo

IT’S RAINING FOR REAL NOW!

Sainz has to go off track in a near-miss with Ocon, handing his place back.

Stroll and Bottas pit for Intermediates from the back of the pack, and Russell may be about to join them from third place. Mirabeau is really wet.

Lap 51/78

15:10 , Marc Mayo

Spots of rain reported at a couple of points of the track. Let’s see if it develops into anything that could encourage a change of tyres, which we’re still some way off at this moment in time.

Matt Majendie in Monaco

15:09 , Marc Mayo

The racing’s not exactly enthralling but this Pirelli tyre game of chess between Verstappen and Alonso is interesting.

The threat of rain means neither man is willing to pit just yet in case a shower or two comes down and they need to pit again. That rain’s only a few kilometres away albeit in small pockets.

Lap 49/78

15:09 , Marc Mayo

With Williams accepting Sargeant’s race was basically over after an early tangle and damage, the American rookie has been running the Soft tyres from plum last for about half of the race so far.

The team are taking the opportunity to teach him about graining and keeping his tyres clean.

Lap 48/78

15:06 , Marc Mayo

Gasly becomes the latest driver to start on the Hard tyres to pit, he comes out eighth in a battle with Russell. He’ll attempt to overcut.

Lap 47/78

15:03 , Marc Mayo

Top ten with 30 laps to go:

1. Verstappen*

2. Alonso*

3. Gasly*

4. Russell*

5. Ocon

6. Sainz

7. Hamilton

8. Leclerc

9. Tsunoda*

10. Norris*

*Yet to pit

Lap 45/78

15:02 , Marc Mayo

Leclerc pits for fresh Mediums and returns to the track behind Sainz and Hamilton, the Mercedes driver currently possessing the fastest lap and a 9.9-second lead over the Ferrari.

Lap 44/78

15:01 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen tells team radio he isn’t sure how much longer he can last on the Medium tyres. If he pits now, he’ll come out around 10 seconds behind Alonso - who also has to pit.

Lap 42/78

14:58 , Marc Mayo

Lap 41/78

14:57 , Marc Mayo

Black-and-white flag handed to Stroll as a warning of his conduct for making contact with Magnussen, which damaged his car but not the Haas.

Through the tunnel, he lines up another move into the Nouvelle chicane but finds the door firmly shut in his face.

Lap 39/78

14:55 , Marc Mayo

Halfway into the race and Verstappen has found a touch of pace on Alonso, having seen his advantage dropped to around six seconds it’s now back up to 8.5.

Neither of the front two’s teammates are having a good day at all, with Stroll incurring damage from a too-late move on Magnussen at Anthony Nogues.

Matt Majendie in Monaco

14:53 , Marc Mayo

What a difference 12 months makes. A year ago, Sergio Perez was flying high as the race winner, leading from pole to the chequered flag.

The supposed king of the street circuits has crashed in qualifying, been forced off track by Lance Stroll and hit the back of Kevin Magnussen’s Haas.

A penny for Max Verstappen’s thoughts up front today. Remember Perez’s Monaco qualifying crash a year ago denied the Dutchman a shot at pole and caused a rift between the two teammates with Verstappen deeming him to have done it on purpose. Perez is now 19th to his teammate in first at the halfway stage.

Lap 37/78

14:52 , Marc Mayo

A riled Sainz has a go at his pit wall for a strategy which has failed to get him past Ocon for the de-facto final spot on the podium.

Ferrari remind him that getting out ahead of Hamilton was the priority - something he disagrees with!

Lap 35/78

14:49 , Marc Mayo

Some might call it karma for Perez as he runs into the back of Magnussen, loses a chunk of front wing and then has Stroll overtake him for 15th place.

The Mexican claims over team radio he was brake-tested by Magnussen. Red Bull pit him for a fresh front wing to compound a miserable weekend.

Lap 34/78

14:48 , Marc Mayo

Perez with a rather baffling claim that Stroll pushing him off going into the Nouvelle chicane after he attempted to follow Verstappen through as he lapped the Aston Martin.

Crossing straight over the chicane, he doesn’t give the place back - and stewards may disagree with his verdict.

Further up, Sainz pits and comes out 1.5 seconds behind Ocon and just under a second ahead of Hamilton. Game on for fourth!

Lap 33/78

14:46 , Marc Mayo

Slow pit stop for Ocon! A 4.2-second wait for the Alpine could open the window for Sainz...

Lap 32/78

14:45 , Marc Mayo

Hamilton pits from fifth with the Mediums all-but finished on his car, he comes back out eighth and Leclerc is told to push for the overcut.

Meanwhile, Verstappen is losing about a second a lap with his Mediums well-grained!

Matt Majendie in Monaco

14:43 , Marc Mayo

It’s a slightly damning indictment of Formula 1 that Verstappen’s rivals and most watching are merely hoping for rain or a safety car this afternoon to halt what’s turning into another procession on track.

F1 bosses won’t say so publicly but they will be worried by how easy Verstappen has made this season look. Saying that, the Dutchman has a train of cars ahead of him.

Lap 28/78

14:40 , Marc Mayo

Classic Ferrari pit calls for Sainz as a stop is called for and then cancelled at the last moment.

Will anyone want to change tyres now if they believe rain will arrive?

Lap 27/78

14:38 , Marc Mayo

A darkening of the clouds up in the hills above Monaco yet no clear sign of rain.

Ferrari tell Sainz rain could be in around 45 minutes, although its likelihood is decreasing. McLaren reckon it could come sooner...

Lap 24/78

14:35 , Marc Mayo

We’re not far off the pit window for the remaining Medium runners; Verstappen, Ocon, Hamilton, Tsunoda, Norris and De Vries.

It’s hard to see Verstappen pitting from the lead too soon given how his pace remains stellar and a safety car could yet shake up his race.

Matt Majendie in Monaco

14:32 , Marc Mayo

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are currently stuck in fifth and eighth respectively. This isn’t going to be the race to properly assess how successful their upgrades are – that should become clearer at the next race in Barcelona.

But what are those changes? There’s changes aimed at improving downforce and pace to the front suspension, the floor fences, the sidepod inlets, the rear wing and the rear brake duct winglets.

Team principal Toto Wolff is adamant it’s not a “silver bullet” but the early signs are at least positive.

Lap 20/78

14:31 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen has an 8.4-second lead over Alonso out at the front, with the Aston Martin on the slower, more durable tyre for the first half of the race.

Sainz is just over a second off Ocon, who is 16 seconds back from Alonso.

Hamilton runs fifth with Leclerc still glued to his tail.

Lap 18/78

14:28 , Marc Mayo

The Mediums may be falling off earlier than expected with Sargeant going backwards, losing out to Stroll and Perez as Zhou gets a hold of his rear wing.

Three overtakes in one lap! The Monaco Grand Prix is spoiling us...

Lap 17/78

14:26 , Marc Mayo

Perez has the fastest lap but finds himself stuck in a traffic jam in 18th place, behind Stroll, Magnussen and Sargeant.

At Mirabeu, the Haas darts past Sargeant to make a sweet overtake!

Black-and-white flag thrown for Sainz after that Ocon tangle.

Lap 14/78

14:22 , Marc Mayo

Stewards are investigating Sainz for that contact with the Ferrari crew retiring to their garage. He’ll carry on but is over a second back from Ocon now.

Alonso fears he has a puncture after reporting that he hit debris - although Sainz’s bit of wing has been recovered. Aston Martin tell Alonso his car is fine.

Matt Majendie in Monaco

14:20 , Marc Mayo

Tyres are clearly going to have a major part to play in today’s race. Unfortunately for the rest of the field, the Red Bulls have been notoriously kind on the rubber whatever the compound.

But those on the mediums have been complaining of early graining while those on the hards, Sergio Perez in particularly, look to be very comfortable.

For now, it’s a Verstappen procession but he’s on a different tyre strategy to the chasing Fernando Alonso.

Lap 12/78

14:19 , Marc Mayo

Sainz has a go at Ocon into the Nouvelle chicane and can’t pull out quick enough - making contact with the Frenchman and breaking his front wing!

The Ferrari crew come out for a pit stop yet he stays out on track and the shard eventually falls off in sector one... yellow flag thrown for that area.

Lap 10/78

14:15 , Marc Mayo

Top ten at this stage

1. Verstappen

2. Alonso

3. Ocon

4. Sainz

5. Hamilton

6. Leclerc

7. Gasly

8. Russell

9. Tsunoda

10. Norris

Lap 8/78

14:13 , Marc Mayo

No further action for Russell after his starting position was checked by stewards.

He’s running eighth behind Gasly in a bit of a train forming up behind Ocon in third.

Lap 6/78

14:11 , Marc Mayo

Hulkenberg handed a five-second time penalty for his contact with Sargeant during the first lap, replays showing Stroll’s issue came when diving down the outside of Albon at the hairpin when there was simply no room.

The Haas is already last after a ten-second pit stop for repairs following the incident.

George Russell under investigation

14:08 , Marc Mayo

An incorrect starting position for the Mercedes is being checked by stewards.

Lap 3/78

14:08 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen already has 1.6 seconds over Alonso, who has around the same advantage on Ocon.

DRS turns on and that’s good news for Leclerc, with the Ferrari all over the back of Hamilton in the fight for fifth.

Lap 2/78

14:06 , Marc Mayo

“Damage and a puncture,” Stroll reports as he and Hulkenberg pit.

Zhou and Perez too, likely for Hards to run to the end.

Lap 1/78

14:05 , Marc Mayo

Alonso slots in behind Verstappen at the start as the Dutchman leads through Sainte Devote. Ocon has a look down the inside but no dice as we run through without any major contact.

But Hulkenberg launches one into Stroll at Mirabeau and the back markers squeeze right up at the hairpin!

LIGHTS OUT!

14:03 , Marc Mayo

We have 78 laps of racing ahead of us with Max Verstappen on pole position ahead of Fernando Alonso...

And they’re off!

Surprise choice by Aston Martin

14:01 , Marc Mayo

Hard tyres on the Spaniard’s car with a different strategy to pole-sitter Max Verstappen, who’s on Mediums.

Lewis Hamilton also on Mediums unlike Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell.

Formation lap

14:00 , Marc Mayo

Time to see who is starting on what tyres for the grand prix as the tyre blankets are pulled off.

Five-minute warning!

13:55 , Marc Mayo

Buckle up... it’s almost time for the F1 Monaco Grand Prix.

Ever wondered why the Monaco corners all have unique names?

13:54 , Marc Mayo

Wonder no more...

Tyre strategy

13:51 , Marc Mayo

A one-stopper is a dead cert around Monaco but will anyone be bold enough not to start on the Mediums?

A sneak peek of the Red Bull

13:48 , Marc Mayo

The floor is the most aerodynamically sensitive area of the car and was on full view after Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton’s crashes yesterday - earning a sneak peek for the rest of the grid.

Monaco marshals typically use cranes to clear stranded cars from the metal-fenced track because of the close confines and lack of runoff.

“With these regulations, the most important bit is the bit you don’t normally get to see,” Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin told reporters on Sunday.

“So the teams will be all over those kinds of photographs. Monaco is a good opportunity to get that kind of shot.”

Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough said: “You learn a lot from just even how the plank is wearing. You learn from what’s touching,” he said. “There’s a lot of very excited aerodynamicists up and down the pitlane looking at all of that.”

Christian Horner lays out his two drivers’ race plans

13:45 , Marc Mayo

“Both have slightly different strategies and objectives. If Max is clear it’s about converting his great pole, for Checo about being creative with strategy.

“We can’t worry too much about Fernando, we need to run our own race.”

Charles Leclerc previews his podium chances

13:42 , Marc Mayo

“It’s difficult to predict anything here at Monaco.

“Strategy will be a big thing as most overtakes will be via strategy. If we have some pace and clean air we can be back on the podium.”

Still no sign of that rain...

13:39 , Marc Mayo

A mild greying-over from some clouds rolling off the hills but it’s still dry and pretty sunny as the race looms.

Monaco Grand Prix countdown

13:37 , Marc Mayo

We’ll get underway in just under 25 minutes in the principality!

Everyone’s favourite F1 impressionist is back...

13:33 , Marc Mayo

Matt Majendie in Monaco

13:29 , Marc Mayo

Formula 1 have introduced a new innovation for the Monaco Grand Prix in which they are running what they’re calling a ‘close to the wall’ graphic.

Effectively, it calculates how close the cars get to the barriers, which as Sergio Perez found out in qualifying was much too close.

They’re using special cameras, trajectory estimates based on the car movement and various algorithms to make the calculation between the wall and the closest part of the car.

Yuki Tsunoda discusses feeling of the track

13:25 , Marc Mayo

As he prepares for his 50th race in F1, the AlphaTauri driver Tsunoda tells Sky Sports that he felt the track has had something of a “reset” in terms of grip on his laps to the grid.

The circuit conditions certainly progressed rapidly late on in qualifying so a little less grip may encourage some spills early on in the race.

More famous faces

13:20 , Marc Mayo

Kylie Minogue, Tom Holland, Kevin Durand, Neymar and Shirley Bassey among the celebrities spotted around the Monaco paddock.

Fernando Alonso looking for ‘help’ to win

13:16 , Marc Mayo

Fernando Alonso made a cheeky request for Max Verstappen in yesterday’s press conference.

When asked how he can win the Monaco Grand Prix, he said: “I think we need the help from Max, but we cannot take it for granted that all three cars will finish the race with no issues.

“This is Monaco and it’s going to be demanding.”

Verstapped quickly added: “I like to see Fernando win but I also like to see myself win. It’s a tough one... I’ll think about it!”

Pit lane open!

13:11 , Marc Mayo

Green light in the pit lane as the cars head out around the track before forming up on the grid.

How Max Verstappen’s rapid final sector snatched pole position

13:07 , Marc Mayo

Matt Majendie in Monaco

13:02 , Marc Mayo

It's not quite a bullishness but there's a genuine belief emanating from the Aston Martin garage today that Fernando Alonso could pick up a first victory for the surprise package of 2023.

He finds himself on the front row of the grid and the wily old fox will know how to fend off Max Verstappen if he gets the jump on him off the line.

It would be a very popular win for the 41-year-old who has been rolling back the years this season. It's a big if, though, as Red Bull still look strong and Alonso hasn't won a race since his home grand prix back in 2013.

Monaco Grand Prix countdown

12:58 , Marc Mayo

The race gets underway in just one hour! And still no sign of rain at the circuit...

Zak Brown interview

12:54 , Marc Mayo

Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Matt caught up with McLaren chief Zak Brown to chat the team’s slow start to the season and when they can expect to be winning races again.

Read the full story!

Where might we get our overtaking today?

12:49 , Marc Mayo

Monaco is a track that requires some inventive thinking to get in an overtake - particularly with these wide cars.

Sainte Devote off the start-finish line is one natural place, as is the Grand Hotel Hairpin if you’re feeling really brave. Otherwise, the Nouvelle chicane is perhaps the best bet.

Who has what tyres left?

12:42 , Marc Mayo

It looks like one Hard and one Medium set of tyres is the order of the day for a race which doesn’t tend to bring much in the way of degradation.

Lewis Hamilton talks up Mercedes upgrade

12:39 , Marc Mayo

Starting fifth in the Monaco Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has spoken highly of the new-look Mercedes following a series of upgrades.

“Well firstly, it’s been an amazing weekend, I’ve loved every second on the track, more than probably ever,” Hamilton said.

“I think the last time I loved it this much was like 2007, 2008, and my Formula 3 days here, so I’ve genuinely really enjoyed it.

“I think we made some really good changes because every time you make a change, it’s like a roll of the dice, 50/50 chance it’s going to work.”

A meeting of the presidents

12:32 , Marc Mayo

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been wandering the Monaco paddock with FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem, sporting an F1-branded cap.

As if he isn’t on Merseyside today to watch Everton fight for survival?

Matt Majendie in Monaco

12:27 , Marc Mayo

As ever in Monaco – much like with Miami – there’s an impressive who’s who of celebrities in the paddock. There were reports NBA star LeBron James might be a late arrival but no sign just yet although he’s apparently in the nearby vicinity.

Those who have made it are wide-ranging, among them Coldplay front man Chris Martin, the football Neymar, singers Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, cricketing duo Chris Gayle and Yuvraj Singh, comedians Chris Rock and Romesh Ranganathan, and a whole lot of other ‘celebrities’ I’ve never heard of.

Watch back Sergio Perez’s crash

12:22 , Marc Mayo

Sergio Perez’s reaction to his qualifying crash

12:19 , Marc Mayo

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez said he “couldn’t believe” he crashed out at Sainte Devote in qualifying.

“It's an unbelievable day. I cannot believe what I've done," Perez said. “It just caught me by surprise, just getting the rear out of shape, especially really late into the corner, it caught me out.

“It is a way of getting the lap time out, but I just went over the limit. I became a passenger and there was nothing else I could do because it was really late into the corner and I could not cut or get out of the corner.

“I didn't feel like I over-pushed it, but it was a big mistake from my side - I am very sorry to my team. It just came around and was a big surprise. It isn't an excuse, I should have done better today.”

A big rebuild of Sergio Perez’s car

12:14 , Marc Mayo

Red Bull have changed several parts of Sergio Perez’s car following his shunt in qualifying, which leaves him starting today’s race back of the pack.

Re-live yesterday’s qualifying session

12:06 , Marc Mayo

Matt Majendie in Monaco

12:01 , Marc Mayo

Predictions of a 50 per cent chance of rain come the race in Monaco seem a little high at present looking at the skies above but the weather has been known to change rapidly in the principality.

It’ll certainly spice up the race should the downpours ensue.

Lewis Hamilton renewal with Mercedes ‘never in doubt'

11:57 , Marc Mayo

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he never had any concern about media speculation linking Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari because of a long-standing “pact” with the seven-time Formula One world champion.

The Briton will be out of contract at the end of the season but has denied talks with Ferrari and said he is close to signing a new deal with Mercedes, the team he joined from McLaren in 2013. Ferrari have also said they did not make any approach.

“We are in a super-happy position with Lewis. There weren’t any stumbling blocks in the contract negotiations," Wolff told reporters at the Monaco Grand Prix.

“We have a pact, and we’ve had that since many, many years, that we wouldn’t talk to any other driver before we have taken a decision to stay together or not.

“So I was never a millimetre in doubt that there was any discussion (with Ferrari). Someone just felt to place that, maybe to in a way play a role in what seemed to be a negotiation but it is not negotiating.”

Watch the incident that earned Charles Leclerc his penalty

11:51 , Marc Mayo

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