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Formula 1
Monaco GP
2015 Monaco Grand Prix Sunday - Monaco Grand Prix
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Rosberg very cautious into Ste Devote, but there's nothing Vettel can do, under threat from Hamilton.
Green flag
RESTART: Rosberg backs the field up, with Hamilton nearly hitting Vettel at Rascasse.
EDD STRAW: "The principle of getting lapped cars out of the way for the restart is not a bad one - but would surely make more sense just to get them all to drop to the back of the queue so that all the lead-lap cars are running nose-to-tail? That would stop this time-wasting."
Safety car in this lap.
Replays show Vettel was definitely ahead at the pit exit safety car line...just.
The German is now complaining about the speed of the safety car.
The German is now complaining about the speed of the safety car.
Rosberg pulls alongside the safety car on the start/finish straight, perhaps concerned that he's losing tyre temperature at the moment.
Hamilton claiming he was alongside Vettel at the pit exit safety car line.
Here's how it stands:
1 Rosberg
2 Vettel
3 Hamilton
4 Kvyat
5 Raikkonen
6 Ricciardo
7 Perez
8 Button
9 Nasr
10 Sainz
1 Rosberg
2 Vettel
3 Hamilton
4 Kvyat
5 Raikkonen
6 Ricciardo
7 Perez
8 Button
9 Nasr
10 Sainz
The lapped drivers (Nasr, ninth, backwards) have now overtaken the safety car.
EDD STRAW: "So not only do Rosberg and Vettel have Hamilton on fresh super-softs behind them, but further down, Ricciardo, Perez, Button and Nasr are queued up behind fourth and fifth placed Kvyat and Raikkonen, all four of them with a tyre advantage."
Vettel is informing Ferrari that there is "still a lot of debris" at Ste Devote.
10 laps to go, still under safety car following that Verstappen/Grosjean crash.
Plenty of discussion on the radio over who was ahead at the pit exit when Hamilton came out. TV pictures look clear, Vettel was ahead.
In that shake-up Sainz has wound up 10th - ahead of Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Ericsson, Bottas and Massa.
Perez, Button and Nasr maintained position in seventh-ninth respectively.
Perez, Button and Nasr maintained position in seventh-ninth respectively.
EDD STRAW: "Well this sets up a fascinating finish. Hamilton will have a big tyre advantage on the super-softs over Vettel and Rosberg. Given the advantage Hamilton had, the team would have expected to get him back out in front. Interesting to see where that time was lost."
Tyre state:
1 Rosberg, 29-lap softs
2 Vettel, 30-lap softs
3 Hamilton, 5-lap super-softs
1 Rosberg, 29-lap softs
2 Vettel, 30-lap softs
3 Hamilton, 5-lap super-softs
"I've lost this race, haven't I..." says Hamilton.
"Not if they lose tyre temp," he's told.
"Not if they lose tyre temp," he's told.
Twitter
@Lotus_F1Team: "Free pit stops for many, @RGrosjean continues to collect his £200 for passing go."
The recovery of Verstappen's mangled Toro Rosso is almost complete.
Rosberg is told: "You are the leader, Lewis has pitted. It's important to get those tyres up to temperature."
It looks like Rosberg has slotted in ahead of Hamilton, and now Vettel has too. Hamilton third.
Hamilton comes out of the pits alongside Rosberg and Vettel!
Twitter
@MercedesAMGF1: "For anybody who ever questions the work done on safety in F1, that accident shows why. Great to see Max walk away."
A few pitstops further down the order too - including Perez, Button, Nasr, and Massa.
Rosberg and Vettel have stayed out.
Hamilton pits for a set of super-softs.
Hamilton's lead was up to around 15s before this safety car period.
"I'm OK," reports Verstappen. The 17-year-old had got a good run out of the final corner and was closing on the Lotus down the start-finish straight.
He made huge inroads as Grosjean braked and partially defended, and though Verstappen jinked right it was not enough.
He hit the right rear of the Lotus, went slightly airborne and went hard and deep into the barriers.
It was a nasty, nasty looking crash - but the barriers have done a great job and the youngster seems OK.
He made huge inroads as Grosjean braked and partially defended, and though Verstappen jinked right it was not enough.
He hit the right rear of the Lotus, went slightly airborne and went hard and deep into the barriers.
It was a nasty, nasty looking crash - but the barriers have done a great job and the youngster seems OK.
Yellow flag
Safety car is out and teams are ready in the pits just in case.
Crash
That's a huge crash at Ste Devote - Verstappen ploughs into the barrier after hitting the rear of Grosjean's Lotus under braking.
Twitter
@MercedesAMGF1: "That traffic has really cost Vettel in the attempt to pressure Nico. He's now 3.4s behind and our boy has some breathing space."
There we go! So, that move in a bit more detail.
Grosjean refuses to let Vettel past in the first sector and looks to be helpless - but he moves to the inside to allow Vettel round the outside of the hairpin and then blats the throttle and squeezes Verstappen, who tries to go the long way round the Lotus, to hold on to 10th!
The two are now locked together. One world championship points is at stake.
Grosjean refuses to let Vettel past in the first sector and looks to be helpless - but he moves to the inside to allow Vettel round the outside of the hairpin and then blats the throttle and squeezes Verstappen, who tries to go the long way round the Lotus, to hold on to 10th!
The two are now locked together. One world championship points is at stake.
EDD STRAW: "That was very sharp by Grosjean - did a superb job to let the Ferrari through but not the following Verstappen. Suspect he's only delayed the inevitable though, given the advantage Verstappen has..."
Raikkonen is now just 1.5s behind Kvyat. He's going to need some help from backmarkers, you'd think, to make a pass.
Such is the pace of Verstappen on the super-soft Pirellis, he was briefly sniffing around Vettel's Ferrari to unlap himself.
But Verstappen's just communicated to his engineer that he will stick behind Vettel and try to use the blue flags when Grosjean gets lapped to nick ahead and steal a point for 10th.
Grosjean's engineer warns him to be careful when Vettel goes past!
But Verstappen's just communicated to his engineer that he will stick behind Vettel and try to use the blue flags when Grosjean gets lapped to nick ahead and steal a point for 10th.
Grosjean's engineer warns him to be careful when Vettel goes past!
EDD STRAW: "Raikkonen is now 1.5s behind fourth-placed Kyvat. Not that it will do him much good given how tricky it is to pass, but if he can get a bit closer, he might be in position to capitalise on circumstances created by traffic or a mistake."
Twitter
@McLarenF1: "Fernando's problem was temperature-related, which had knock-on issues. The team will investigate when the car is recovered after the race."
Button's progress versus Perez has slowed, and the gap's stuck at around 5.5s.
EDD STRAW: "Verstappen is catching 10th-placed Grosjean very quickly. 1.6s faster last time around. Grosjean stopped for his tyre change pretty early, so will be struggling for grip and could be a sitting duck. "
Raikkonen is back on the charge now he's clear of traffic. He's 2s behind Kvyat now. He'll be on his tail very soon.
By: Scott Mitchell, Edd Straw, AUTOSPORT staff, Glenn Freeman, Lawrence Barretto
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