Ricciardo avoids another pitfall in Monaco
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo steadied his nerve when victory threatened to escape him again as he overcame a significant mid-race power loss Sunday to win the Monaco Grand Prix from pole position.
Better known for his attacking prowess and razor-sharp overtaking, the Australian showed outstanding defensive driving to fend off Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari despite losing an estimated 25 per cent of his engine power.
Vettel closed to within one second of Ricciardo with more than half of the 78-lap race left. It seemed certain the German would pass him at some point, but Ricciardo held firm for the seventh win of his career.
“So much went on for me in that race, trying to figure out what was going on,” Ricciardo said.
Vettel made up a few points on championship leader Lewis Hamilton, who finished third.
“I think we had the pace,” Vettel said after missing out on a 50th career win. “But Daniel had the answers all the time.”
In the end, Ricciardo’s winning margin was seven seconds.
Montreal’s Lance Stroll finished 17th, two laps off the pace.
It was Ricciardo’s second win of the season after the Chinese GP last month, pushing him up to third in the title race.
It also felt like payback time. Ricciardo thought he’d won in Monaco two years ago, leading from pole only to be undone by a botched pit stop.
“Two years in the making and I finally feel redemption has arrived,” Ricciardo said. “I thought the race was over.”
The popular Australian driver appeared emotional, even tearful, as he sat in his car moments after crossing the finish line.
It was soon time for his typical showmanship. He stood perfectly still on his car, nodded slowly in recognition of his achievement and then thumped his chest.
Ricciardo, Vettel and Hamilton have won two races each heading into the Canadian GP in two weeks’ time.