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Formula 1 Monaco GP

2015 Monaco Grand Prix Sunday - Monaco Grand Prix

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"Last lap was good," Mercedes tells Hamilton. You'd guess that means he's getting everything under control in terms of managing temperatures.
EDD STRAW: "Hamilton now leads Rosberg by three seconds. It will be interesting to see how quickly he can build up the gap needed to make a stop and not drop behind cars. Were he to stop now (which he definitely won't) he's already far enough up the road to re-emerge in seventh place."
Vettel seems to have got on terms with the Mercedes drivers, joining them in lapping around the low 1m20s at the moment. He's 1.9s behind Rosberg at the moment.
Perez, in seventh, is being caught by Verstappen and Button. But they are small gains and the Force India is seven seconds to the good at the moment - with 4.3s between the young Dutch prodigy and the McLaren.
Hamilton is told that his brakes are "on the warm side".
Perez asks how his pace is, and he's told that he is "still pulling a gap to Verstappen" behind him in eighth.
EDD STRAW: "Sainz started from the pits, but he's managed to ensure he's in the hunt to get into the mix for a point or two. He cleared the two Manor entries on the first lap and he's currently 15th, sat behind the back of the midfield. So just over six seconds off 10th currently."
Gaps at the front:

1 Hamilton
2 Rosberg +2.4
3 Vettel +4.9
4 Kvyat +7.0
5 Ricciardo +9.6
6 Raikkonen +10.9
Vettel has nothing for the Mercedes drivers at the moment, he's fallen to +2.4s behind Rosberg.
Maldonado's issues have elevated the two McLarens into the points - Button up to ninth and Alonso now 10th.
Rosberg is matching Hamilton's pace now, but with the gap at 2.2s it could be that the leader is already managing the gap.
Maldonado pits, he's had enough of this.

Sounds like a brake-by-wire failure for the Lotus man.
EDD STRAW: "Maldonado is creating a big break behind the top seven. That's particularly good news for Perez - after his strong qualifying performance, race is opening up nicely for him to pick up some solid points. He's already almost 10 seconds ahead of Verstappen."
Contact between Maldonado and Verstappen as the Toro Rosso attacks the limping Lotus for eighth!

Verstappen eventually gets the job done at Sainte Devote.
Maldonado's problems seem to be brake-by-wire related. He's told that he'll have a long pedal, but his rear brakes are working.
Breaking news
Five-second penalty for Fernando Alonso for the collision with Hulkenberg - he'll have to serve that in his next pitstop.
Maldonado is complaining about his brake pedal, and he's advised to use 'lift and coast' more. That's a scary thought around Monaco.
Hamilton continues to disappear up the road. He's already more than 2 seconds clear of Rosberg.
EDD STRAW: "Alonso will be a significant strategic influence in this race. In 11th, he's the highest-placed soft-starter. So those ahead ideally need to pull out a big enough gap to stop and not come out behind him."
DRS is enabled, but all of the cars near the front are more than one second apart from each other.
Quote
Maldonado is told "we think the brakes are OK now," but he responds saying they're not.
Replays of the start show that Rosberg had to run up the exit kerb on the outside of Ste Devote to keep second ahead of Vettel.
Positions gained (+) and lost (-) on lap one
Hamilton 0
Rosberg 0
Vettel 0
Kvyat +1
Ricciardo -1
Raikkonen 0
Perez 0
Maldonado 0
Verstappen 0
Button 0
Alonso +2
Nasr +2
Grosjean +2
Bottas +2
Ericsson +2
Sainz +4
Stevens +1
Merhi +1
Hulkenberg -8
Hamilton continues to pull away - he's 1.5s clear of Rosberg now. Kvyat is matching P3 Vettel's pace, but he has Ricciardo for very close company as well.

Raikkonen isn't troubling the Red Bulls much at the moment - 1.3s back.
Behind the lead group Hulkenberg's Force India team-mate Sergio Perez has had a better start and is running seventh.

Maldonado, Verstappen and Button complete the top 10. Sainz is up to 16th.
Massa's had a disastrous first lap as well and is in the pits.

Hulkenberg rejoined, pit for a front-wing change and rejoined.
The top three have already broken one second clear of the Red Bulls.
Hamilton leads Rosberg by 0.8s, and Vettel by 1.6s at the end of the opening lap.
Crash
Hulkenberg's crashed, he's off at Mirabeau - contact with Alonso.
The Red Bulls had a look either side of Vettel, but neither could make a move stick. Kvyat has got ahead of Ricciardo for fourth, though.
Hamilton holds the lead, and Vettel attacks Rosberg on the inside into Ste Devote but has to slot into third.
Lights out
The Monaco Grand Prix is go!
The leaders are filing onto the grid now.
Pit starter Sainz is - amusingly - told that "the strategy is to go as fast as possible and over take as many cars as you can".
Rosberg gets away ahead of Hamilton, but the world champion is off the mark shortly after to take up his position at the head of the field.
A reminder of the grid then:

1 Hamilton
2 Rosberg
3 Vettel
4 Ricciardo
5 Kvyat
6 Raikkonen
7 Perez
8 Maldonado
9 Verstappen
10 Button
11 Hulkenberg
12 Massa
13 Alonso
14 Nasr
15 Grosjean
16 Bottas
17 Ericsson
18 Stevens
19 Merhi

Sainz starting from the pitlane.
Green flag
Tyre blankets off - and the formation lap is underway.

By: Scott Mitchell, Edd Straw, AUTOSPORT staff, Glenn Freeman, Lawrence Barretto

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