2018 Monaco Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Daniel Ricciardo delivered a masterclass in managing a damaged car to win the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix. After dominating the weekend at the Circuit de Monaco, the Red Bull Racing driver lost a substantial amount of power but still kept Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton behind to secure a memorable victory.

Pole position
Driver	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:10.810
Fastest lap
Driver	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:14.260 on lap 60
Podium
First	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing
Second	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari
Third	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
24 May 2018	Practice 1	11:00 – 12:30
24 May 2018	Practice 2	15:00 – 16:30
26 May 2018	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
26 May 2018	Qualifying	15:00 – 16:00
27 May 2018	Race	15:10

All times are local (UTC+02:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived with a 17-point lead over Sebastian Vettel, but Monaco offered Red Bull Racing a strong opportunity. The circuit’s slow corners and emphasis on track position made qualifying particularly important, and Ricciardo had unfinished business after losing victory through a pit-stop error in 2016.

Race entries

The regular 20 drivers took part. Monaco retained its traditional Thursday FP1 and FP2 schedule, with final practice and qualifying on Saturday. Romain Grosjean carried a three-place grid penalty for the opening-lap accident in Spain.

Free Practice

Daniel Ricciardo led Thursday’s FP1 in 1:12.126, with Max Verstappen second and Lewis Hamilton third. Red Bull Racing immediately looked well suited to the streets.

Ricciardo improved to 1:11.841 in FP2, again ahead of Verstappen. Sebastian Vettel was third as the leading Red Bull Racing pair continued to set the standard.

Ricciardo completed a practice clean sweep in FP3 with a 1:11.786, only 0.001 seconds ahead of Verstappen. His team-mate then crashed at the swimming-pool section, causing damage too extensive to repair before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2018 Monaco Grand Prix FP1, 24 May 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:12.126	36
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.154s	25
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.354s	34
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.915s	40
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.940s	38
6	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+1.330s	40
7	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+1.376s	39
8	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.591s	39
9	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.817s	24
10	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+1.836s	40
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+1.874s	39
12	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+1.908s	46
13	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+2.008s	38
14	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+2.114s	38
15	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+2.165s	37
16	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+2.395s	39
17	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.511s	16
18	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+2.656s	43
19	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+3.080s	39
20	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+6.675s	7

Free Practice 2 Classification

2018 Monaco Grand Prix FP2, 24 May 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:11.841	33
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.194s	41
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.572s	42
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.695s	34
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.702s	36
6	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.801s	38
7	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.206s	30
8	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+1.236s	40
9	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.274s	42
10	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+1.359s	34
11	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+1.381s	47
12	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.529s	39
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+1.541s	47
14	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+1.569s	32
15	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+1.706s	44
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.731s	41
17	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+1.734s	45
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.922s	37
19	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+2.170s	34
20	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.332s	46

Free Practice 3 Classification

2018 Monaco Grand Prix FP3, 26 May 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:11.786	23
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.001s	14
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.237s	23
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.356s	26
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.487s	26
6	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.570s	27
7	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+0.966s	25
8	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+0.975s	23
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+1.064s	24
10	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+1.068s	23
11	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+1.088s	25
12	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+1.154s	23
13	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.239s	22
14	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.326s	26
15	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.493s	25
16	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+1.809s	26
17	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+1.858s	25
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.095s	21
19	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.406s	20
20	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.435s	28

Qualifying

Daniel Ricciardo secured pole with a 1:10.810, ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Räikkönen and Valtteri Bottas followed, while Esteban Ocon qualified an impressive sixth for Force India.

Max Verstappen missed the session after his practice crash and would start at the back. Pierre Gasly reached Q3 for Toro Rosso, while Brendon Hartley was eliminated in Q1 despite showing promising practice speed.

Qualifying Classification

2018 Monaco Grand Prix Qualifying, 26 May 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:12.013	1:11.278	1:10.810	17
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:12.415	1:11.518	1:11.039	21
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:12.460	1:11.584	1:11.232	22
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:12.639	1:11.391	1:11.266	22
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:12.434	1:12.002	1:11.441	25
6	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	1:13.028	1:12.188	1:12.061	27
7	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:12.657	1:12.269	1:12.110	26
8	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	1:12.950	1:12.286	1:12.130	28
9	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	1:12.848	1:12.194	1:12.154	23
10	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	1:12.941	1:12.313	1:12.221	29
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	1:13.065	1:12.411	—	22
12	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	1:12.463	1:12.440	—	19
13	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	1:12.706	1:12.521	—	19
14	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	1:12.829	1:12.714	—	20
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:12.930	1:12.728	—	21
16	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	1:13.179	—	—	12
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:13.265	—	—	11
18	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	1:13.323	—	—	10
19	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:13.393	—	—	12
—	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	No time	—	—	0

Romain Grosjean received a three-place grid penalty for causing a collision in the previous round.

Max Verstappen failed to set a Q1 time within the 107% requirement and was allowed to start the race at the stewards’ discretion. He also received a 15-place grid penalty: five places for an unscheduled gearbox change and ten places for use of a third MGU-K.

What happened in the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix?

Daniel Ricciardo held the lead at the start and retained it through the opening pit-stop sequence. Sebastian Vettel followed, with Lewis Hamilton third, as the front-runners prioritised track position and tyre management.

The decisive complication came when Ricciardo reported a loss of power. His MGU-K had failed, leaving him to complete much of the race with reduced performance and additional demands on braking and temperature control.

Vettel closed in but could not convert his speed advantage into an overtake. Ricciardo carefully managed the pace through Monaco’s narrow streets, using the sections where the car remained effective to protect himself on the straights.

Fernando Alonso retired with a gearbox problem, ending his run of points finishes. Later, a brake failure sent Charles Leclerc into the rear of Brendon Hartley at the chicane, bringing a virtual safety car and ending both drivers’ races.

Ricciardo negotiated the final interruption and won ahead of Vettel and Hamilton. Räikkönen finished fourth and Bottas fifth, followed by Ocon, Gasly and Nico Hülkenberg. Verstappen recovered to ninth and set fastest lap, with Carlos Sainz tenth.

Vettel reduced Hamilton’s championship lead to 14 points, but the afternoon belonged to Ricciardo. Two years after Monaco had escaped him, he earned the victory through a combination of qualifying speed, restraint and exceptional concentration.

2018 Monaco Grand Prix race results

The 2018 Monaco Grand Prix was held on 27 May 2018, with a scheduled start of 15:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	78	1:42:54.807	25
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	78	+7.336s	18
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	78	+17.013s	15
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	78	+18.127s	12
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	78	+18.822s	10
6	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	78	+23.667s	8
7	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	78	+24.331s	6
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	78	+24.839s	4
9	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	78	+25.317s	2
10	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	78	+69.013s	1
11	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	78	+69.864s	0
12	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	78	+70.461s	0
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	78	+74.823s	0
14	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	77	+1 lap	0
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	77	+1 lap	0
16	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	77	+1 lap	0
17	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	76	+2 laps	0
18	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	70	Collision	0
19	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	70	Collision damage	0
Ret	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	52	Gearbox	0

Charles Leclerc and Brendon Hartley did not finish the Grand Prix, but were classified as they completed more than 90% of the race distance. Although Hartley completed his 70th lap before Leclerc, Hartley is classified behind Leclerc due to a 5-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

2018 Monaco Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	60	16:32:17	1:14.260	161.772
2	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	74	16:52:13	1:14.822	160.557
3	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	61	16:36:16	1:14.944	160.295
4	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	75	16:54:02	1:15.325	159.484
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	13	15:29:35	1:15.562	158.984
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	57	16:28:20	1:16.061	157.941
7	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	14	15:30:53	1:16.065	157.933
8	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	15	15:32:34	1:16.270	157.508
9	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	21	15:40:34	1:16.312	157.422
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	13	15:29:43	1:16.392	157.257
11	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	76	16:54:24	1:16.864	156.291
12	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	19	15:38:36	1:16.936	156.145
13	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	23	15:43:34	1:17.018	155.979
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	63	16:35:57	1:17.027	155.960
15	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	68	16:42:27	1:17.099	155.815
16	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	15	15:33:15	1:17.172	155.667
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	20	15:39:56	1:17.476	155.057
18	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	19	15:38:24	1:17.491	155.027
19	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	24	15:45:06	1:17.546	154.917
20	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	17	15:35:52	1:17.710	154.590

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h. No championship point was awarded for fastest lap in 2018.

2018 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix.

2018 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	110
2	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	96
3	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Red Bull Racing	72
4	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	68
5	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Ferrari	60
6	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	35
7	Fernando Alonso	ESP	McLaren	32
8	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Renault	26
9	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Renault	20
10	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	19
11	Pierre Gasly	FRA	Toro Rosso	18
12	Sergio Perez	MEX	Force India	17
13	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Force India	9
14	Charles Leclerc	MON	Sauber	9
15	Stoffel Vandoorne	BEL	McLaren	8
16	Lance Stroll	CAN	Williams	4
17	Marcus Ericsson	SWE	Sauber	2
18	Brendon Hartley	NZL	Toro Rosso	1
19	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	0
20	Sergey Sirotkin	RUS	Williams	0

2018 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	178
2	Ferrari	156
3	Red Bull Racing	107
4	Renault	46
5	McLaren	40
6	Force India	26
7	Toro Rosso	19
8	Haas	19
9	Sauber	11
10	Williams	4

2018 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2018 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	25 March
2	2018 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	8 April
3	2018 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	15 April
4	2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	29 April
5	2018 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	13 May
6	2018 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	27 May
7	2018 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	10 June
8	2018 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	24 June
9	2018 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	1 July
10	2018 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	8 July
11	2018 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	22 July
12	2018 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	29 July
13	2018 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	26 August
14	2018 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza	2 September
15	2018 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	16 September
16	2018 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	30 September
17	2018 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	7 October
18	2018 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	21 October
19	2018 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	28 October
20	2018 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	11 November
21	2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	25 November