7 Memorable Moments From The Monaco Grand Prix

F1 returned to Monaco for the most famous and iconic race on the calendar, around the tight and twisty streets of Monte Carlo. The first part of the race was fairly lacklustre, but it all came alive in the final 20 laps.

Nico Rosberg took his third consecutive Monaco Grand Prix victory, moving into the lead after a strategy call to pit Lewis Hamilton under the late Safety Car backfired. The championship leader dropped to third and couldn’t find a way past Sebastian Vettel. Here are eight memorable moments.

The status quo remained into Turn 1, with Hamilton clinging onto first place, ahead of Rosberg and Vettel. Behind, Felipe Massa suffered damage, while contact later in the lap between Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg gave the former a penalty and the latter an early pit stop for repairs.

Pastor Maldonado has yet to score a point this season. He’d looked set to do just that in Monaco but brake issues forced him out after only eight laps. Poor luck for the Venezuelan again.

Due to the tricky nature of the Circuit de Monaco, traffic and blue flags became a big issue for the front-runners. Time was lost, time was gained, and angry radio calls were made. Frustrating for all parties.

Despite his penalty, Alonso was on course for a top 10 result – his first of the season – when a temperature issue forced him out of the race just past the half-way mark.

If you crash in Monaco, it’s usually a big one. Max Verstappen found that out on lap 64. He clipped Romain Grosjean’s car under braking for Turn 1 after the Lotus driver hit the brakes earlier than he expected. With only three wheels, he flew into the barrier hard, but fortunately emerged unscathed. However, he was handed a five-place grid penalty for the next race and two penalty points on his license.

Thinking there was a big enough gap, Mercedes pitted Hamilton under Safety Car conditions followinf Verstappen’s smash. However, the Brit returned to the track behind both Rosberg and Vettel, costing him an easy victory.

7. Rosberg wins again

Rosberg scored his third Monaco Grand Prix win and his second consecutive race victory, but he admitted that Hamilton was too quick and that he was lucky to finish first. Vettel was pleased with second.

Behind the top runners, Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo swapped positions on the final lap to finish fourth and fifth. Kimi Raikkonen, Sergio Perez and Jenson Button – scoring McLaren’s first points of 2015 – were next up, with Felipe Nasr and Carlos Sainz Jr completing the top 10.