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Formula 1
Monaco GP
F1 Monaco GP Live Commentary and Updates - race day
Minute-by-minute updates for F1's Monaco Grand Prix at Circuit de Monaco.
The Monaco Grand Prix gets underway at 14:00 BST (15:00 local time) with Charles Leclerc on pole for his home race on an all-Ferrari front row.
Carlos Sainz starts second, as Sergio Perez outqualified Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen despite a late crash at Portier - which collected Sainz to bring out a red flag.
McLaren's Lando Norris begins from fifth, outpacing George Russell in the Mercedes.
The race will last 78 laps, and will prove particularly tough for overtaking opportunities unless the threat of rain changes the shape of the race.
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Breaking news
A pit exit incident involving Perez has been noted.
Sainz, however, is right on Perez's tail now, with traffic right ahead! Sainz dips on the wet part of the track on the straight and somehow makes an excellent save!
Pit stop
Most drivers are now pitting for dry tyres as the sun pops out for the first time in this race. Hamilton also boxes for hards and returns in eighth place.
Perez has indeed got ahead of Sainz, and Verstappen's ahead of Leclerc!
Pit stop
Leclerc has an unhappy radio conversation with his engineer - but both Red Bulls now come in to react to Ferrari!
Pit stop
Hamilton vs Ocon at Turn 1 has been noted by the stewards but no investigation yet. But the French driver pits so it releases the Mercedes driver.
Pit stop
Sainz pits from the lead, as does Leclerc! Hard tyres for both Ferraris!
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Hamilton has damage to the left-hand side of his front wing and he's getting frustrated stuck behind Ocon. "Have any of these moves been investigated?" Hamilton asks on team radio.
Pit stop
Dry tyres klaxon! Both Schumacher and Albon have gone for the hard tyres. They are both at the back of the pack, so little to lose now.
Sainz is fully committing to the slick strategy, as he's still leading - but Perez is catching him rapidly.
Both Albon and Russell have been shown the black and white flag for exceeding track limits.
Stopwatch
Perez does a 1m25.215s on inters! Leclerc and Verstappen make the stop for inters, but Perez comes out ahead of them!
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Hamilton tries a move up the inside at Ste Devote but Ocon defends and the pair bang wheels fighting for eighth place. "He turned in on me, I think my front wing might be busted," Hamilton says over team radio.
Pit stop
Sainz contends a call to stop for inters, and elects to stay out. Norris, in the meantime, bolts on the inters from fifth.
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An Albon vs Schumacher incident at the Nouvelle Chicane has been noted by the stewards. "I think my front wing is broken," says the German driver.
Gasly has already caught up to Bottas and Magnussen and is almost three seconds per lap quicker than the pair.
Pit stop
Perez is stopping! Inters for the Red Bull driver, and he comes out behind Norris. Will that force Ferrari's hand?
Pit stop
Hamilton pits to trade his wet tyres for inters and comes out in ninth place.
Stopwatch
With a lap of clean air, Gasly sets a new fastest lap of 1m31.251s - over 1.5s quicker than anyone else on track.
Stopwatch
It's now a 1m32.995s for Sainz, as the Ferraris try to build themselves a cushion before they stop. "We are going to go straight to dry," Sainz says.
Gasly is the driver on a move, he gets by Ricciardo at the exit of the Swimming Pool complex. The AlphaTauri has so much more pace on the inters.
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Make that a 1m33.665s for Leclerc. "It's definitely inters now," third-placed Perez says over the radio.
Gasly is quickly on the tail of Ricciardo, as the McLaren driver slides around Rascasse, which forces his rival to back off to avoid a collision. Ricciardo's wets are crying enough.
Stopwatch
It's now a 1m35.077s for Leclerc, and he's continuing to go even faster. Sainz is also starting to drop the Red Bulls.
No need, as Gasly makes the move himself by diving up the inside of Zhou at Mirabeau. Smart move.
Zhou, defending from Gasly, runs on at the Nouvelle Chicane, so he might need to hand that place to the Frenchman.
Stopwatch
Leclerc's still got pace in those wets, doing a 1m35.323s on lap 11.
Off track
Albon has run on at Ste Devote and tumbles down the field to 16th place.
Gasly has caught up with the F1 car train and is tucked up behind Zhou as the final runner yet to pit. This race could come into the AlphaTauri driver's hands if it dries out enough.
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"Russell's been told to push up to you - Plan B." Norris is told. "I'm at 100% pace mate," comes the reply.
Off track
Russell's had a hop, skip and a jump over the Nouvelle Chicane, so he's lost about half a second to Norris.
Gasly, on the inters, is the only driver matching the pace of those still on wet tyres but he has the advantage of clear air as the leader of those to pit so far.
Stopwatch
Leclerc's still forging a lead, a 1m37.181s last time around.
Pit stop
Vettel has lost ninth place to Ocon - and is told to pit by his Aston Martin team to gamble for the inters. Tsunoda does the same from 11th place.
Laptimes on wets and inters seem to be on a par, Gasly on pace (and slightly quicker) with Leclerc on lap 5. So the crossover's coming, and some will duly pit.
Stopwatch
Gasly, on those inter tyres, sets the fastest lap of the race with a 1m39.431s.
Pit stop
Schumacher is the latest to pit for inters, while Gasly runs on at the Nouvelle chicane while trying to dance on a tightrope with his inters.
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"No more rain for the next 20 to 30 minutes," Leclerc is told.
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"It is definitely slippery but it is drying pretty quickly," Hamilton reports over team radio. Is the time for inters coming sooner than expected?
Oh no, those look like wets to me - the timing screen might be wrong.
By: Autosport Staff
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