Key events
The cars return to the pits and we await a decision on whether the race continues. If it does return, we are down to a 10-lap race. Antonelli is out of the car. The race surface is being checked on that final bend. The asphalt, the marble, is the problem.
Race is red flagged…race suspended
68/78 Russell is noted for failing to serve his penalty. That final bend, where Stroll and Leclerc crashed, has become treacherous. Is that the reason for the red flag being waved?
67/78 Leclerc says: “I am not taking the blame for that.” His crash places Hadjar in third. His crash happened in the same place as Stroll, and at the same speed of 46/47 mph. Leclerc is raging.
Safety car gone – Leclerc crashes – safety car back
66/78 Oh dear, and as the restart begins, Leclerc smashes into the barrier, losing it on a piece of tarmac.
65/78 Russell is asking about his penalty, some confusion reigning. His team’s response seems vague. Someone’s made a miscalculation. “I just need to know,” says Russell, who gets to be reacquainted with the back end of Hadjar.
64/78 We await the restart, and to see if Kimi Antonelli can get away from Hamilton and Leclerc on the soft tyres. His previous gap was 29 seconds but now we are back to, if not square one, then the previous race order.
63/78 The Aston Martin is taking a while to shift, as Stroll lost it on the bend, smashing into the barrier. The lapped cars are allowed to unlap themselves. Leclerc not happy with his team, not understanding why he is pitting. Russell didn’t serve his penalty in the pit lane, and didn’t serve it, so will get another one. Not a good day for George.
62/78 Leclerc asks: “Why the hell are we pitting?” Antonelli will go into the pit lane, and get a new set of tyres. There’s a hitch with the tyres but Antonelli will still lead.
Safety car called
61/78 Stroll comes to a halt on a corner, a yellow flag goes up. The pit crews are called into action. Piastri and Hamilton pit. Hamilton serves his five-second penalty.
60/78 Leclerc got a little too close to the barrier, sparks flying when his front left wheel grazes the metal. He checks his steering to see if any damage done.
59/78 Albon and Sainz carry out a planned swap. They await that Lindblad pit.
58/78 Russell has been lapped, meaning only Antonelli, Hamilton and Leclerc remain on the lead lap. Antonelli is 28 seconds clear.
57/78 Uh oh? Antonelli is complaining “there’s something wrong with my engine going up the hill.” His team tell him to forget setting fastest laps.
56/78 Piastri gets the five-second penalty. He was told by his team to be careful and it still happened.
55/78 Sainz pits, and comes out in 10th, and they await Lindblad’s pitting to claim ninth and 10th. Piastri is the next, the fifth, to be investigated for speeding in the pit lane. Something’s afoot?
54/78 Not much fun for George Russell out there, as Antonelli is closing on lapping him. Lance Stroll, second-last, is another looking at a five-second FIA penalty.
53/78 Pierre Gasly is the latest to get a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. He’s in seventh.
52/78 A battle between Leclerc and Hamilton. The local lad is under five seconds behind his fellow Ferrari, and with a penalty booked in, he’s in virtual second place.
51/78 Antonelli is told to calm it down and wait for a safety car change to swap tyres.
50/78 The Williams strategy didn’t work, as Arvin Lindblad in Racing Bulls overtakes. Though he still needs to pit so Albon will take the place back.
49/78 Albon isn’t happy. “I don’t get it.” He’s having to drive like an OAP over Snake Pass.
48/78 Norris: “Something’s wrong, I’ve got no battery.” He had been passed already by Russell. Albon sets about his task of blocking, like a tractor down a country lane.
47/78 That’s two successive retirements for Norris. Sainz and Albon are asked to swap places such that Albon does a blocking job to preserve two top-10 places for Williams.
Norris retires
46/78 McLaren give up the ghost as his team tell him power problem will not be fixed, so that’s the fourth driver out. That takes Russell up to sixth, though he also faces another penalty.
45/78 Antonelli sets another fastest lap. He’s untouchable out there, flying along.
44/78 Norris is asked to pick up the pace. Russell is on his tail as they whip past the superyachts on the marina. Russell has been noted for crossing the line at the pit exit. Another five-second penalty? Oh George.
43/78 Colapinto’s five-second penalty is confirmed. He’s 15th. Russell is well aware what McLaren are doing to him. There’s not much he can do about it.
42/78 Norris is dropping back, team orders to keep Russell away from Piastri. This race will always present such challenges, right back to the days of Fangio.
41/78 Russell has had a frustrating race; he’s behind Norris. The McLaren team, including Piastri in fourth, are yet to pit. Colapinto, in the Alpine, is the latest to be investigated for speeding in the pit lane.
40/78 McLaren’s team principal confirms that Norris’ car has “power issues”. It’s not been an auspicious 1000th race for the storied team.
Russell gets penalty
39/78 Russell’s five-second penalty is confirmed. Antonelli was told to slow down after his teammate fell so foul.
38/78 Antonelli pits, and takes 2.3 seconds to change his tyres. He stays in the lead, and now leads by 13.4 seconds. Nothing can go wrong now?
37/78 Hamilton was too quick in going into the pits, rather than leaving it. Russell has been accused of the same offence now, and a similar five-second punishment awaits.
36/78 Norris has been complaining of no power but his team seem to have solved the issue. Hadjar is still having trouble, and telling his Red Bull team he’s having problems.
35/78 So, Antonelli, yet to pit, leads Leclerc, Hamilton, Piastri, Gasly, Norris and Russell.
Hamilton gets a penalty
34/78 Hamilton gets a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. His team accept it, and he will continue on without stopping.
33/78 Franco Colapinto, in the Alpine comes close to crashing. Russell’s pit works, as Hadjar comes in.
32/78 Norris seems to think his McLaren has a problem. His team will check. Russell pits, and will come out in the vicinty of Norris and Gasly, and does so in eighth.
31/78 Bearman has retired, bad news for Haas. That’s three parked up now. Max Verstappen will be in civvies by now.
30/78 Hadjar cut the chicane and that may see a complaint, especially if he does so again. There’s a battle for seventh, where Gasly is holding off Norris.
29/78 Hamilton asked to stop, and on to hard tyres he goes after a very quick pit-stop.
28/78 Russell has a look, and Hadjar cuts him off. Russell complains, asking for the stewards. “He’s got no tyres,” he tells his teams.
27/78 Hadjar sliding all over the track; this has been a brave drive from the French-Algerian.
26/78 Russell and Hadjar get closer and closer, but this time, on a sharp bend, the Red Bull closes down the space. Antonelli has 33 seconds on his teammate and championship rival. He’s also 10 seconds clear of Hamilton.
25/78 Hadjar and Russell’s battle is a reminder of the difficulty of Monaco. There’s still not much traffic behind them. They are losing two seconds a lap by fighting out this battle.
24/78 Antonelli is pulling further clear, and is eight seconds clear. The race is in the palm of his hand.
23/78 Hadjar is game but he’s told there’s “no fix” from his team. “Head down” is the advice.
22/78 Russell is all over the back, and really needs to get ahead of Hadjar to have any chance in the race. These two is where the race is at the moment.
21/78 “Something is going to explode,” says Hadjar, who has dropped 15 seconds behind Leclerc in third.
20/78 “I can’t pull first gear,” howls Hadjar. He sounds panicked, to say the least. Russell is well on his tail but Monaco won’t let him pass.
19/78 Antonelli has opened it back up to 4.4 seconds. Hadjar is complaining about his car to his team; the Red Bulls have not had a happy weekend. Russell waits his turn.
18/78 Russell has been advised by his team to mind his tyres so that he can take advantage of Hadjar’s tyres. Bottas’s Cadillac is parked up, it was overheating. That’s the second retirement.
17/78 Hamilton has been complaining of tyre degradation, as has Hadjar, though Russell closing on the Red Bull has also noticed. Hamilton has closed the gap to 2.8 seconds.
16/78 Verstappen speaks: “The formation lap, it wasn’r going very well. The pre-start was terrible and at the start the engine just dropped dead. It sounded awful. It will be a good test to see if we have stepped forward.”
The latter comment refers to Barcelona, next up. Big week ahead for Team Red Bull.
