HEAVY VETTEL
Sebastian ends Ferrari’s 16-year drought at Monaco but their team strategy is the pits for Raikkonen
IN the land of millionaires and their playthings, Sebastian Vettel toyed with the opposition. The German championship leader passed team-mate Kimi Raikkonen on a pit-lane stoppage as Ferrari locked up a one-two finish on the streets of Monaco. Not only did it lay down a marker that Ferrari are serious challengers for the title, but Vettel’s dominant drive saw the famous Prancing Horse take the chequered flag in Monte Carlo for the first time since Michael Schumacher in 2001. Vettel stretched his lead over Lewis Hamilton to 25 points, although the Brit limited the damage by finishing seventh from 13th position on the grid. But afterwards Raikkonen told Germany’s retired 2016 champion Nico Rosberg in an interview: “It doesn’t feel awful good. It’s still second place, but it doesn’t count a lot in my books at least.” He claimed he had been called in first for his pit stop and released into traffic, losing precious time while Vettel stayed out for five more quick laps before pitting then coming out ahead. Vettel said: “There was no plan of any team orders or anything. But I can understand that Kimi’s not happy. I would feel exactly the same. “The rule is pretty clear when you qualify ahead and you are ahead in the first stint, you get priority on the first stop and that’s what happened. As it turned out, today it worked in my favour.” Hamilton said: “It’s clear to me that Ferrari have chosen their No.1 driver. They are pushing everything to make sure Sebastian maximises on all of his weekends.” Following his qualifying nightmare on Saturday, Hamilton did well to rise six places from start to finish on a circuit renowned for being difficult for overtaking. And he added: “I feel good. I feel very positive. I came into this race a lot further back and had no idea what was going to happen. “The team said in the strategy meeting this morning I could only get 10th so I am happy. The gap to Vettel is big, but not impossible to close.” Jenson Button, making a one-race return from retirement for Mclaren while Fernando Alonso raced at the Indy 500, crashed out when he collided with Pascal Wehrlein, having started from last. Wehrlein’s Sauber rose up on its side and came to rest on its lefthand wheel rims with the German unhurt, but stuck in his cockpit against the barrier. Button said: “You never like seeing a car tip over because you don’t know if the driver’s head is all right so the most important thing is he is OK. I have just seen him and he seems all right. “I enjoyed qualifying and I enjoyed some laps today. I never wanted to damage the car, but when you see an opening you take it. “It has not whetted the appetite for any more – definitely not.”