Why unloved Lotus 76 may be Colin Chapman's most significant car
A wide variety of Lotus cars are often proffered as the ultimate F1 game-changer – but was the Lotus 76 an unusual candidate which trumps them all?
Daniel Ricciardo wins the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix despite ailing engine
Daniel Ricciardo survived engine issues to complete a perfect weekend with victory in the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Australian led every lap, despite an engine problem that left him down on power and forever in the clutches of the second-place Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel.
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton claimed third for Mercedes, struggling throughout the race with tyre graining, while Kimi Räikkönen held off compatriot Valtteri Bottas for fourth place.
With Max Verstappen having to come through the pack after missing qualifying, ending the race ninth, Esteban Ocon secured best of the rest in sixth place for Force India.
The race seemed Ricciardo’s from the start, beating Vettel away from the front row and holding off early pressure to scamper away out of DRS range. But then Ricciardo’s Monaco curse appeared to hit once again when he lost power compared to Vettel and was forced onto the back foot. But with every car seeming to struggle with tyres, he was able to manage the race and just keep Vettel out of DRS range. A late virtual safety car for a dramatic crash for Charles Leclerc offered him respite, and was able to nurse his car home.
Elsewhere, Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly once again impressed to finish seventh and beat Nico Hülkenberg of Renault, closely followed by Verstappen.
Renault’s Carlos Sainz Jnr claimed a distant 10th, with Marcus Ericsson 11th. Sergio Pérez’s race was undone by a slow pitstop, coming home 12th ahead of Kevin Magnussen, Stoffel Vandoorne and Romain Grosjean.
Williams duo Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin endured another race to forget, finishing at the foot of the field after Sirotkin was handed a 10-second stop-go penalty for missing the three-minute warning and Stroll picked up two punctures.
Fernando Alonso became the race’s first retirement when his McLaren stopped on lap 54 with a gearbox issue before Charles Leclerc crashed heavily into the back of Brendon Hartley on the run down to the chicane.
1 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | |
2 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | +7.336sec |
3 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +17.013sec |
4 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | +18.127sec |
5 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | +18.822sec |
6 | Esteban Ocon | Force India | +23.667sec |
7 | Pierre Gasly | Toro Rosso | +24.331sec |
8 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | +24.839sec |
9 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +25.317sec |
10 | Carlos Sainz Jr | Renault | +69.013sec |
11 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | +69.864sec |
12 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | +70.461sec |
13 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | +74.823sec |
14 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | +1 lap |
15 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | +1 lap |
16 | Sergey Sirotkin | Williams | +1 lap |
17 | Lance Stroll | Williams | +2 laps |
DNF | Charles Leclerc | Sauber | DNF |
16 | Brendon Hartley | Toro Rosso | DNF |
DNF | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | DNF |
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