Jump directly to the content

DANIEL RICCIARDO rode his broken Red Bull to glory in the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Aussie, who topped every practice and all three qualifying sessions, led this race from start to finish.

 Daniel Ricciardo celebrates his victory in Monaco with his mechanics
8
Daniel Ricciardo celebrates his victory in Monaco with his mechanicsCredit: Reuters
 The Red Bull ace looked superb around the iconic street circuit
8
The Red Bull ace looked superb around the iconic street circuitCredit: Reuters

And that was despite driving for 51 laps of this gruelling race with an engine problem that left him down on power.

The 28-year-old said his Monaco win was redemption after his team lost him the 2016 Monaco GP with a bungled pitstop when he had a commanding lead.

He said: "This was two years in the making and I finally feel the redemption has arrived!

"We had our problems we had a lot to do in the race, I felt a loss of power about halfway through the race.

 

 Daniel Ricciardo has been in dominant form in Monaco this weekend
8
Daniel Ricciardo has been in dominant form in Monaco this weekendCredit: AFP or licensors
 Fernando Alonso looks frustrated after his retirement
8
Fernando Alonso looks frustrated after his retirementCredit: Reuters
 Tom Brady and Bella Hadid enjoy the race - a celeb favourite
8
Tom Brady and Bella Hadid enjoy the race - a celeb favouriteCredit: Getty Images - Getty

"There were a few doubts which came in mid-race but we won Monaco, it feels good! Awesome."

His boss at Red Bull hailed his driver's heroics as on par with Michael Schumacher's amazing performance in the 1994 Spanish GP when he raced to runner-up spot while stuck in fifth gear.


HITS IN THE PITS Bella Hadid and newly-married Hugh Grant and wife in Monaco for grand prix


Horner added: "Daniel Ricciardo, you are a hero! Un-f******-believable! You have done an amazing job today.

"That is right up there with what Schumacher did in 1994, and this is payback for 2016. You are a Monaco Grand Prix winner and you enjoy every minute of it."

TALE OF THE TAPE

Driver of the Day: Max Verstappen livened up this dull race going from last to ninth.

Move of the Race: Verstappen squeezed past Carlos Sainz on Lap 58

Mistake of the Race: Williams cocked up by failing to fit Sergey Sirotkin's tyres in time for the race, earning the Russian a 10-second time penalty.

Milkfloat: Lance Stroll was slow and made errors clipping the barriers and other cars.

 Charles Leclerc crashes into the back of Brendon Hartley
8
Charles Leclerc crashes into the back of Brendon HartleyCredit: Sky Sports
 Monaco sees driver racing on the brink and there is often contact
8
Monaco sees driver racing on the brink and there is often contactCredit: Sky Sports
 Grid girls were back in a controversial move that was welcomed by Lewis Hamilton
8
Grid girls were back in a controversial move that was welcomed by Lewis HamiltonCredit: EPA

It was Ricciardo's first win in Monaco and richly deserved for the faultless way he drove all weekend.

He was understandably delighted as he crossed the line 7.3 seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who was second while Lewis Hamilton was third.

The German's second spot on the podium means Hamilton's lead in the championship is reduced to 14 points.

Michelle Mone shows off lavish apartment and stunning views in Monaco ahead of F1 grand prix

Hamilton said: "Would have been nice to have been second but I did all I could, it was a really interesting race."

Kimi Raikkonen was fourth while Valtteri Bottas was fifth. Max Verstappen, who had started last, finished in ninth place.

There were retirements for Fernando Alonso, who had a gearbox failure while Charles Leclerc smashed into the rear of Brendon Harley.

Topics