Sebastian Vettel delivers victory for Ferrari at Monaco GP as Kimi Raikkonen rages

Kimi Raikkonen had a face that could curdle milk. The Finn tends to display roughly the same emotional spectrum as a block of ice but his expression on the podium was a diagram of rage as some crafty Ferrari tactics propelled Sebastian Vettel to the team’s first Monaco Grand Prix win for 16 years.

Even the victor, sitting pretty on a 25-point championship lead after arch rival Lewis Hamilton finished seventh, had the decency to be sympathetic. “I can understand that Kimi is not happy,” Vettel said. “I would feel 100 per cent the same.”

There is little doubt that Ferrari’s strategy, which so clearly favoured Vettel by giving him five laps of clean air to over-cut his rival after the first round of pit stops, cost Raikkonen dearly here. All weekend this inscrutable cult figure, whose wife Minttu has recently given birth to the couple’s first child, seemed to have a fresh burst of ­energy, showing dazzling pace to achieve pole position and keep his team-mate at bay off the start line. But from there Ferrari reverted to extreme pragmatism, bringing Raikkonen into the pits first and giving Vettel all the space and time he needed to vault into the lead and sustain his quest for a fifth world ­title.

“It doesn’t feel awful good,” Raikkonen said, morosely. “It didn’t work out for me, that’s about as much as I can say right now. I got the bad end of the story. It’s still second place but it doesn’t count a lot in my books at least.”

Diplomatically, he chose to bite his tongue rather than accuse his employers of brazen team orders, but his distaste for their decision was clear. Before the Italian ­national anthem played out in all its jauntiness, he could barely be bothered to lift his second-place trophy in the air. He glowered at his bottle of champagne as if it were strychnine.

“If you don’t believe what you have been told and how it will work out, it becomes very complicated at some point,” he reflected. “For me, it could have been better. We have just finished the race and who knows? There’s some reason for everything that happens in life. As a driver I can do anything I want, but that’s not how we work as a team.”

This Monaco Grand Prix was a symphony in two movements, the first a predictable dirge and the second a discordant but entertaining catalogue of errors. Jenson Button, making his fleeting return to Formula One to cover Fernando Alonso’s dash to the Indianapolis 500, was central to the chaos.

As his McLaren wedged into Pascal Wehrlein at the entrance to the tunnel, the German’s car flicked off his front wing like a hamburger off a spatula.

While marshals toiled to move the stricken Sauber off its side, the pursuers of the two dominant Ferraris all struggled to generate tyre temperature behind the safety car. “My tyres were like concrete,” said Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, who ­attempted a series of burn-outs to keep them warm. 

It was testament to the quality of the Australian’s drive that he still managed to finish third, especially given how he crashed immediately after the restart. “I went straight into the barriers at turn one. Yeah, not fun.”

Somehow, Hamilton carved a path through the midfield to ­salvage some faint sense of grace from his miserable qualifying effort. Having started 13th, he endured 78 laps of draining anonymity just to move up to seventh, as he shipped 19 points to Vettel in their championship ­tussle. The hope all season has been that the two outstanding drivers of their era could slug it out to the ­bitter end of this campaign, but ­already Vettel is an ominous distance in front.

“We need to do a better job,” Hamilton acknowledged. “Yes, 25 points is a long way away – it was hard enough to get six here. But I prefer to look at this situation as a glass half full. I was devastated by qualifying, but I have come away with points and I’m grateful.” As he put it to his engineers over the in-car radio: “The battle’s not over, boys.”

Under pristine blue skies on the Riviera, the Prancing Horse has rarely looked so magnificent. Not only was this Ferrari’s first Monte Carlo triumph since 2001, when Michael Schumacher streaked over a distant horizon, but their first one-two finish for seven years. No wonder Vettel, reacquainted with a winning sensation that became so routine during his four years of supremacy at Red Bull, could hardly stop smiling. While 2016 passed off without a single victory, this season, a mere six races old, has yielded three to make him an outstanding favourite to join Juan Manuel Fangio as a five-time champion.

Hamilton, for one, is not ready to contemplate that thought just yet – not when the F1 caravan rolls on next to Montreal, where he has won five times.

But there will come a point when Mercedes’ inability to work out the deficiencies of his car tests his ­patience. His two ragged races so far, in Russia and Monaco, have both come as a consequence of the Silver Arrows’ failure to draw optimum performance from his tyres. With Ferrari appearing to have much the quicker and more nimble car, a solution needs to be found – and fast.

Mercedes could draw some solace from the perseverance of Valtteri Bottas, who lost little pride in fourth. There were likely to be some raised eyebrows at the company’s Stuttgart headquarters, though, at the Finnish driver’s verdict on the machinations between Raikkonen and Vettel. “Well, I’d rather see a Finn win than a German,” he said.

Raikkonen was likely to be glad of the solidarity. His sour body language towards Vettel was all too redolent of the simmering intra-team feud last year between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. So, who better to have compered the trophy presentation than Rosberg himself? “I know how it feels,” he said, trying to comfort Raikkonen from his own bitter experience. “It’s not a good feeling.” 

Even in blissful retirement, clearly, the reigning world champion has not forgotten how to stir up mischief.

3:09PM

How they ended the race

3:06PM

A word from Kimi

"It's hard to say really [how it feels]. It's still second place but it doesn't feel awfully good. This is how it goes sometimes. "

2:56PM

Your podium at the Monaco Grand Prix

2:53PM

The aftermath

Kimi Raikonnen looks even more unhappy than normal. This could be an interesting podium interview...

2:48PM

Sebastian Vettel wins the Monaco Grand Prix

He nabbed the position from his teammate and has given Ferrari their first win there in 16 years. Raikonnen is second, followed by Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen. 

2:47PM

Lap 77 of 78

Hamilton: "The battle is not over guys." 

The Brit knows there is no point crashing out and not getting any points. 

Now for the last lap. 

2:45PM

Lap 76 of 78

Vettel is sailing away into the sunset with Raikonnen 5.240s behind his teammate. 

Hamilton is still trying to get past Sainz but the Toro Rosso is defending his position well and trying to keep that distance.

2:43PM

Lap 74 of 78

Verstappen looks like he's debating whether to challenge Bottas but with time running out he may be better of taking the P5 points as no one seems to be able to manage the overtake today. 

2:41PM

Lap 72 of 78

Sergio Perez has barged into Kvyat who is left stricken on the track. He came up on the right hand side of the Toro Rosso and there was room but it will be looked at after the race. Perez now in the pits and down to P13

2:38PM

Lap 71 of 78

Jenson Button has a five-place grid penalty. I'm not sure he'll be too bothered. 

2:37PM

Lap 69 of 78

Vettel has a lovely lead of 2.155s ahead of his teammate and Ricciardo, Bottas and Vertsappen are fighting it out for that final podium place. 

Hamilton is all over Sainz but he is running out of time. 

Perez is back in the points after Vandoorne crashed out from P10.

2:32PM

Lap 67 of 78

The safety car is in and we are back racing. 

Red Bull have just told Verstappen "get stuck into Bottas" as he looks to get up to P4.

Ricciardo hits the barrier on his cold tyres but manages to keep the car straight and keep his P3 and there is a Red Bull sandwich with Valtteri as the filling. 

Vandoorne ends up in the barrier and the double yellows are back. 

2:28PM

Lap 65 of 78

Interesting comments from Stroll: "I don't have break temperature and I don't have tyre temperature. I don't know what to do. Can somebody help me?"

2:27PM

Lap 64 of 78

So the safety car is still out and Vettel leads from Raikonnen, Ricciardo, Bottas and Verstappen. 

2:25PM

Lap 62 of 78

It is the Sauber of Pascal Wehrlein and he's speaking to the engineers and says he's fine except for the fact that he cannot get out of the car. 

It looked like Button clipped the back of the Sauber and the car is the correct way now. Button's afternoon is also over. 

 Wehrlein is out of the car and walking normally, which is obviously great news. 

2:21PM

Lap 60 of 78

We have a safety car. We think it is a Sauber.

The car is on it's side with the top adjacent to the barrier. No news as yet but the medical car has been deployed.

2:18PM

Lap 58 of 78

Ricciardo just two seconds behind Raikonnen who may well have gone to sleep as we haven't heard from him in a while. He's just had a new baby so he could be getting his rest and letting the car drive itself on autopilot. 

Bottas is still 15s behind the Finn with Verstappen a further second behind. 

2:17PM

Turn One

There is a problem as the track is "breaking up" at turn one. It was likely that caused  Ocon's puncture and may be because they have relaid parts of the track. 

2:15PM

Lap 56 of 78

Hamilton now the fastest man on the circuit and has closed the gap to Sainz by another 4s. He may be 20s behind Verstappen but if he continues at the pace he is going, he may be able to catch the Red Bull with 20 laps to go. 

2:13PM

Lap 54 of 78

Ricciardo is nearing on Raikonnen who is in P2 and the Finn seems to have lost all of his fight, and speed, since his teammates pit stop. 

The gap is down to 3.9s and the Australian seems to be getting faster with every lap. 

2:09PM

Lap 51 of 78

Verstappen was 0.8s behind Bottas who is in P4 but he can't get close enough to use that DRS Zone as the Mercedes sails along the track. 

Hamilton has closed the gap between him and Sainz to 7.1s, which Toro Rosso have noticed...

2:06PM

Lap 49 of 78

Just under 30 laps left and Vettel has a nine second lead. 

Some good work from Sainz to keep it calm in P6 and can Vandoorne get McLaren their first points of the season as he currently sits in P10. 

2:02PM

Lap 46 of 78

Raikonnen is 7.494s behind his teammate and Vettel is probably feeling very relaxed out in front. 

The Mercedes are out of the garage, it is Hammertime! He comes back out in P7 and Sainz in P6 should keep an eye on his wing mirror as the former World Champion will be hunting him down, of possible. 

2:00PM

Lap 44 of 78

Vettel leads from Raikonnen, Ricciardo, Bottas and Verstappen. 

Hamilton is P6 ahead of Sainz, Grosjean, Kvyat and Vandoorne makes up the top ten.

Then it is Perez in P11, Massa, Magnussen, Palmer, Stroll, Eroicsson, Ocon, Wehrlein and Button. 

1:57PM

Lap 41 of 78

Hamilton has got himself up to P6 after the guys in front of him pitted, he is yet to box but these tyres are very hardwearing. 

The key conversation today may be Ferraris lack of team orders, but the fact that Vettel ended up benefiting out of the two drivers... Orders without orders, maybe?

Ocon had to pit again after they found a puncture. 

1:53PM

Lap 39 of 78

Ricciardo couldn't get ahead of Raikonnen with Vettel about to pit from the front. His lead is 19s so a perfect pit and the race could well be his. 

1:52PM

Lap 38 of 78

Everyone is starting to get their one pit in. 

Kvyat, Ocon and Ericsson.

Vettel leads from Ricciardo, Raikonnen, Bottas, Verstappen, Grosjean, Hamilton, Vandoorne, Sainz and Massa. 

1:50PM

Lap 37 of 78

Vettel and ricciardo have both just set new fastest laps. 

It looks like Kimi's pitstop helped Vettel more than anyone else... 

1:48PM

Lap 35 of 78

Now Vettel leads ahead of Ricciardo, Raikonnen, Sainz and Bottas. 

Vettel has a lead of 4.996 over the Australian. Raikonnen came out in P3 but he's behind Button again. That will not please him. 

1:46PM

Lap 34 of 78

It didn't work out well for the Red Bull. His pitstop looked slow and when Bottas comes out he slots into P5 behind Sainz and Verstappen is still behind him. 

Raikonnen is coming in now. 

1:45PM

Lap 32 of 78

Red Bull garage: "Box Max, opposite Bottas."

The Mercedes stayed out so Verstappen is in the for his pit stop. The Mercedes have just told Bottas to "push hard", but the Finn has been losing time over the last few laps. 

Bottas is now coming in. Verstappen came out in P6.

1:43PM

Lap 30 of 78

Perez is within the 1s needed to activate the DRS Zone as he chases down Strol. Both Perez and his teammate Ocon have finished in the points in all four races this season. 

The Mexican is P16 with Ocon P13. 

1:40PM

Isn't it beautiful

1:38PM

Lap 27 of 78

The blue flag is finally shown so the Prancing Horses pass Button but Bottas is getting closer to the Ferraris, gaining 1.1s during this lap. 

1:36PM

Lap 25 of 78

Vettel has cut the time between him and Raikkonen to 1.152 as the race leader arrives at Button who is the back marker. 

The German driver could be in the DRS Zone very soon as the Finn waits for the blue flags so Button can move and he can pass. This could make a huge difference to his race. 

1:35PM

Hamilton to garage

"Grip is poor, handling is all over the place..."

Is his weekend about to get worse?

1:34PM

Lap 23 of 78

The lack of overtaking and possible team orders mean there may not be much going on at the front, but that middle section looks interesting. 

Grosjean in P7 has Magnussen, Kvyat and Hamilton getting closer to him. Six seconds between P7 and P10. 

1:31PM

Lap record blown to pieces

The top ten are all quicker than the record Hamilton set last year of 1:17.939.

1:30PM

Lap 21 of 78

Hamilton is 35.190s behind Raikkonen. It's been a long time since he's had that type of distance between him and the race leader. But he is only 4s behind Magnussen in P8

1:27PM

Lap 19 of 78

Hamilton up to P10 after Perez pitted with what looked like a wing issue and Hulkenberg's retirement. He needs to get past Kvyat in P9 but he is in the points now. 

1:26PM

Lap 18 of 78

Hulkenberg is out of the race, he managed to park at Portier and it looks like we will stop at the yellow flags. 

Vettel has cut the lead to 1.514 which puts him nearer to that 1s DRS zone. 

1:24PM

Lap 16 of 78

Only Wehrlein and Button - 19th and 20th - have stopped so far but we expect these ultrasofts to last a fairly long time so there is no rush. 

Hulkenberg has smoke coming out of the back of the car and he slows, but he keeps running. He could cause drama if he doesn't halt quickly.

His engineer says: "We have a major gearbox problem."

The yellow flags are out. Will there be a safety car?

1:22PM

Lap 14 of 78

Here's how the top five look going into lap 14

1:20PM

Lap 13 of 78

Wehrlein has a five-second time penalty for his unsafe release. 

There is not much signs of anyone challenging a=or attempting to make an overtake, but if Hamilton doesn't get through the middle cars on the grid soon he could see himself having to move over for his title challengers as he remains in P12.

1:18PM

Lap 10 of 78

Raikkonen leads the pack ahead of Vettel, Bottas, Verstappen and Ricciardo. 

Then it's Sainz, Perez, Grosjean, Magnussen and Hulkenberg makes up the top ten. 

Kvyat is 11th, then Hamilton, Vandoorne, Massa, Ocon, Palmer, Stroll, Ericsson, Wehrlein and Button.

1:13PM

New fastest lap

Raikkonen has set a new record of 1:16.666

1:13PM

Lap 7 of 78

Raikkon has extended his lead over Vettel to 2.128s which means the German is way outside the DRS zone. Bottas is 5.233 behind the leader and Verstappen a further 1.6s behind. 

The Ferrari is looking ridiculously fast today. 

1:10PM

Lap 6 of 78

Bono to Hamilton: "Our race comes later."

It will be interesting to see what strategy his race engineer gives him without the day. 

The stewards are investigating Wehrlein. 

1:09PM

Lap 5 of 78

Raikkonen leads from Vettel, Bottas, Verstappen and Ricciardo. 

When Wehrlein and Button were leaving the pits it looked like the Sauber driver had been released unsafely causing Button to take his foot of the pedal slightly. May be something for the stewards. 

1:08PM

Lap 3 of 78

Vettel is already a second behind his teammate and Raikkonen will know he needs to get a good gap between the two if he is to force the team to let them race without orders. 

No one wants race orders. 

Looking back at the start and Bottas was trying to go past Vettel on the right but the German held his place well. 

1:05PM

Lap 1 of 78

Verstappen did well to defend his place from his teammate and Red Bull are definitely a team letting their guys race each other. 

First pit from Wehrlein and Button for strategy, not problems. 

1:04PM

Lights out

Raikkonen gets a great start and they are how they started with Vettel second followed by Bottas, Verstappen and Ricciardo. 

Hamilton up to P12, after going past Vandoorne. 

1:03PM

Call from Alonso to Button

Alonso: "Wishing you the best of luck. Take care of my car."

Button: "I'm going to pee in your seat."

1:00PM

Are we all ready?

The track is clearing, the blankets are coming off and the cars are off on their formation lap. 

12:55PM

Five minutes until lights out

This is your five minute warning and some questions as some drivers' run into their garages for - I presume - a toilet break. 

Here's some questions ahead of lights out:

• Can Hamilton get anywhere near the podium from P13?

• Will Ferrari give team orders to strengthen Vettel's lead in the Championship?

• Can Button get any points on his return?

• Who will be the latest driver to falter at the Swimming Pool complex?

• Will Palmer finish the race?

12:52PM

We love Manchester

All the drivers' took part in a minute's silence for those affected by the awful events at Manchester Arena. They all have tributes on their cars as well. 

12:41PM

20 minutes until lights out

Everyone is heading out on the track prior to the national anthem. 

More than enough time for you to get your snacks, your beverages and get comfortable. We could have an interesting afternoon ahead. 

12:37PM

Someone could be in trouble after this cheeky tweet

12:34PM

British champions in Monaco

12:33PM

30 minutes until lights out

Monaco is our sixth race of the season and definitely the most fabulous. 

Here's how the they will start the race:

Raikkonen starts on pole ahead of Vettel, Bottas, Verstappen, Ricciardo.

Then it is Sainz, Perez, Grosjean, Kvyat and Hulkenberg completes the top ten.

Magnussen is 11th, followed by Vandoorne, Hamilton, Massa, Ocon, Palmer, Stroll, Wehrlein and Ericsson. Button starts from the pits. 

Remember Vandoorne penalised three grid places for causing a collision at the previous round. Button penalised 15 places for use of additional power unit elements.

12:24PM

The current Champion

Nico Rosberg is in the pitlane, not that he had far to travel given he lives in Monaco.

He said: "That [racing] is all done for me, I'm enjoying my home life..."

"I've had my time and it was awesome."

12:19PM

Will the Force be with them today?

Jolyon Palmer could do with some luck, maybe a storm trooper could smash up the other cars...

12:13PM

Will No. 44 be anywhere near the front of the grid today?

12:09PM

50 minutes until lights out 

The start of the race will be here before we know it and even though the Ferraris have locked out the front row, Valtteri Bottas will hope he can challenge them from P3. 

Some fun facts for you:

• There are 78 laps at Monaco, totaling a race distance of 260.286

• Lewis Hamilton holds the lap record of 1:17.939, which he set last year

• This is Kimi Raikkonen's first pole in 129 races

• There have been 25 wins by Brits in Monte Carlo, the highest of any nation

• Of the last ten Monaco GP's, seven have been won from pole

• It's 16 years since Ferraris last win in Monaco

12:00PM

How they stand so far

As we know, the title race so far has been between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. The German has finished in the top two of all five races so far and if he were to win today and Hamilton finished below 10th, he could end the day 31 points ahead of his rivals.

Mercedes lead the Constructors' table but they could have a poor day today unless Hamilton finds a way to overtake on that notorious street track. McLaren are the only team yet to score a point.

11:48AM

Jenson's return

In case you haven't heard the news, Button will start from the pit lane after more McLaren-Honda engine woes. 

Here's what happened:

Jenson Button will start today's Monaco Grand Prix, possibly his final Formula One race, from last place after McLaren's engine partners Honda detected a power unit problem that incurred a 15-place grid penalty.

Button, the 2009 world champion and a former winner in Monaco, qualified ninth but his sterling efforts were ultimately in vain.

The 37-year-old Briton is standing in for Fernando Alonso in the Mediterranean principality while the Spaniard competes in the Indianapolis 500 on the same day.

The team's ongoing engine problems will only confirm to Alonso, who has been the centre of attention at Indianapolis, that he was right to miss Monaco for a shot at glory across the Atlantic.

McLaren are the only team yet to score a point this season, the former champions beset by a lack of reliability and performance, but anything can happen in Monaco and Button was not downcast.

"A lovely experience, lots of new memories of driving this type of monster of a car," he said. "It's probably the quickest McLaren that has ever driven around here, in terms of lap time.

"It's tricky but I've loved it and enjoyed working with the engineers.

"Tomorrow is obviously a different day but today's the day that I knew was going to be the fun day," added the Briton. "I definitely extracted a lot of fun out of today."

McLaren Racing Director Eric Boullier said Button had done a "perfect" job.

"He was ready, fit, fast, smiling. So -- perfect."

Monaco had represented a real chance for the team to change that, however, with the tight and twisty street circuit rewarding driver skills and making engine power less of a factor.

Button, who had not driven a Formula One car for more than six months until he stepped into the cockpit for Thursday practice, had been 12th in final practice.

Belgian team mate Stoffel Vandoorne, who has a three-place penalty carried over from the previous race in Spain, qualified 10th and drops to 12th.

11:38AM

Good morning

Hello F1 fans. 

What happened in qualifying?

Lewis Hamilton is set to start a lowly 13th for the Monaco Grand Prix following a disastrous display in qualifying on Saturday as Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen claimed pole position.

Hamilton has struggled for pace all weekend in Monte Carlo, but his failure to progress to the top-10 shootout will come as an almighty shock to Hamilton and his Mercedes team.

Raikkonen secured the number one spot - his first in nearly a decade - after seeing off the challenge from Hamilton's championship rival Sebastian Vettel by just 0.043 seconds as Ferrari sealed a front-row lockout. Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas lines up in third.

An impressive Jenson Button posted the ninth best time on his return to Formula One action, but he will start from the very back after he was dealt a 15-place grid penalty following a series of changes to his Honda engine.

What are the drivers' championship standings?

What are they saying?

Jenson Button, stand-in McLaren driver

It feels slightly surreal to be back in the cockpit.

When the call came there was no hesitation - it's a totally unique situation and a great opportunity.

Although I haven't turned a wheel on track yet in the MCL32, I feel well prepared.

I'm looking forward to working with the team again and, as I'll be on the other side of the garage this time around, I'll do my best to look after the car for Fernando [Alonso, who is racing in the Indy 500].

Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal

We hope [the Renault engine upgrade] will be Montreal [the next round of the championship].

We are a bit in no-man’s land. We are trying to start playing with the big boys.

We are doing the best that we can with the resources that we have. I have no doubt that the second half of the season will be much stronger for us than the first half.

And if we are going to manage that, probably one of our drivers could dictate what happens in the drivers’ championship.

What is the Monte Carlo circuit like?

Monaco is the most glamorous round of the Formula 1 championship, but it's circuit also provides one of the sternest tests of a driver's reflexes and car control.

Changes last decade to the swimming-pool and Rascasse sections made the course a modicum more forgiving. However, there is still little margin for error on a street circuit that is the antithesis of the modern-era 'car park' autodromes with their vast tarmac run-off areas.

How did the 2016 race pan out?

The 2016 edition of the Monaco GP was defined by a single pit-stop – a single mistake, even – that cost Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo a rare win and gifted the win to Lewis Hamilton.

Focus on that costly slow pit-stop is understandable but an unfair reflection on an exciting race, in which Hamilton had outpaced Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in damp conditions early on and set off in dogged pursuit of the leading Red Bull.

One hairy moment saw Hamilton pull a questionably aggressive chop as he defended his newly won lead from Ricciardo, only a fortnight after he had criticised Rosberg for making a similar move when the pair had crashed out on the first lap in Spain.

Ricciardo dodged Hamilton's attentions but was unable to regain the lead, and the Briton took his first win in the principality since 2008.

What are the latest betting odds for the 2017 race?

• Lewis Hamilton to win — 5/4

• Sebastian Vettel to win — 7/4

• Valtteri Bottas to win — 7/1

• Max Verstappen to win — 14/1

• Daniel Ricciardo to win — 14/1

• Kimi Raikkonen to win — 14/1

• Sergio Perez to win — 150/1

• Jenson Button to win — 250/1