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Monaco GP
F1 Monaco GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2023 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix.
The 2023 Monaco Grand Prix is the sixth round of the season, though was set to be the seventh had it not been for the Emilia Romagna GP's cancellation due to a weather emergency.
Max Verstappen starts on pole for the 78-lap grand prix around the streets of Monte Carlo, having edged Fernando Alonso in a thrilling Q3.
The sister Red Bull of Sergio Perez will start from the back of the grid after a Q1 crash, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc goes from sixth after being hit with a grid penalty.
The 2023 Monaco GP begins at 2pm BST.
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Hamilton hasn't given up in his bid to snare third from Ocon, but they are split by 1.8s currently and it will take a big assault from the Briton to overcome him. However, Hamilton's fastest lap isn't under threat.
Leclerc has had a muted second half of the race and at no point looked like closing in on Russell ahead. It appears the Mercedes driver's fifth place is safe despite his penalty.
Alonso is 28.2s behind Verstappen ahead, the Red Bull man continuing to stamp his authority on the race with a time 1.6s faster last time around.
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"You're doing a really good job," Russell is told as he's evidently now struggling with the damage inflicted by the Perez hit upon his rejoin.
Verstappen has started his final lap and is on course for a second Monaco GP victory.
Checkered flag
It's a fourth victory of the season for Max Verstappen, who preserves Red Bull's 100% record in 2023 by winning the Monaco Grand Prix.
A brilliant drive from the Red Bull man, who managed to keep his medium tyres alive, then didn't panic when the rain fell and managed to make only a single stop. Alonso comes home second, after incorrectly calling the weather and taking medium tyres as rain hit before having to return for inters.
Ocon completes the podium to record Alpine's first rostrum visit of the ground effects rules and relieve some pressure on boss Otmar Szafnauer. An excellent drive from the Frenchman, who withstood the early pressure from Sainz before holding off Hamilton for third.
Hamilton has to settle for fourth with fastest lap, as Russell takes fifth despite a five-second penalty. He will be disappointed about his trip into the escape road on his outlap, which dropped him back behind Ocon and Hamilton having only made the one stop. Efforts to recover hampered by damage from being hit by Perez as he rejoined.
It's a somewhat muted drive from Leclerc, who ends up in the position he started in sixth ahead of Gasly and Sainz. A tough afternoon for the second Ferrari man, who suffered wing damage clipping Ocon early on, then lambasted his team's strategy for covering Hamilton and then spun as conditions worsened at Portier.
Behind Sainz, McLaren drivers Norris and Piastri complete the points after a quietly effective day. Both passed Tsunoda on track as the Japanese struggled with his brakes before plunging off the road, the AlphaTauri man eventually classified 15th.
A quiet day for Valtteri Bottas yields 11th ahead of Nyck de Vries, Zhou Guanyu and Alex Albon. Behind Tsunoda, Perez ends up a disappointing 16th after an eventful race picking up wing damage against Stroll, then being used as a guinea pig running full wet tyres before coming back in again for inters. Five stops for the Mexican in total.
Hulkenberg finished up 17th after a penalty for his lap one lunge on Sargeant, and three stops - but still beat the Williams driver home after the American spent some time doing a long stint on softs. Magnussen retired to the pits after a fruitless attempt to stay out on hards ended in the wall, and Stroll also failed to finish.
Well then. Now the dust has settled, it's probably safe to say that was a bit more interesting than we all expected. Even the cat and mouse approach of Verstappen and Alonso on conflicting tyre strategies kept us amused before the weather-induced bedlam that followed.
As the drivers collect their trophies and listen to anthems, thoughts will turn to Barcelona in one week's time. But also, the small matter of the Indianapolis 500 that kicks off in a little over an hour and a half.
Ocon is clearly enjoying himself up on the podium, only the third of his F1 career after taking second in the 2020 Sakhir GP and winning Hungary 2021. He's now stood on all three podium steps.
Interestingly not a hint of disappointment at finishing second on the cool down lap from Alonso. It will be interesting to hear what he has to say about his strategy gamble in the post-race press conference. Stay tuned to Autosport.com for all the latest news as it comes in after the race.
The implications of the win for Verstappen's championship are significant too. With Perez not scoring, his deficit has increased to 39 from 14 pre-race.
Ocon's podium meanwhile, bolstered by seventh for Gasly, has boosted Alpine above McLaren to fifth in the constructors' standings on 35 points to the papaya team's 17.
In case you missed any of the action from a frenetic Monaco Grand Prix, here's the full report from Jake Boxall-Legge: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-monaco-gp-verstappen-survives-late-rain-to-win-as-alonso-gambles/10474817/
We'll wrap up the Monaco Grand Prix live blog there, but do keep an eye on the site for all the news and reaction as it lands from the race, including Alonso's views on the failed medium tyre gamble, what the result means for Alpine and the what-could-have-been stories of woe that are always in plentiful supply in the Principality.
Thank you ever so much for following along with us. And if you're anything like us, enjoy watching the Indianapolis 500 too... See you next time from Barcelona. Until then, goodbye.
By: Autosport Staff
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