Daniel Ricciardo raised the alarm from his cockpit with 50 laps of the Monaco Grand Prix remaining, but nursed his car home expertly to win the race that got away from him two years ago.
In command during the 2016 edition only to be denied by a botched pit stop, the Australian seemed to be cursed again on Sunday when he came on to say: ‘I’m losing power.’
But Ricciardo kept going despite having to live with the power problem, bravely and brilliantly holding off the challenge of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who finished second, 7.3sec back, and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, third, a further 9.6sec adrift.
Daniel Ricciardo collects the winner’s trophy from Prince Albert II of Monaco as Lewis Hamilton applauds from third place
Ricciardo celebrates his second win of the season by performing his trademark ‘shoey’ celebration on the podium
Despite losing 25 per cent of his engine power, Ricciardo led every lap before taking the chequered flag at Monte Carlo
After his stunning triumph, the Australian stands on top of his Red Bull following his second win of the season
Despite the wall of stewards acting as a barrier, Ricciardo leaps into his team of mechanics after the race
The Red Bull team mob Ricciardo who has triumphed at Monte Carlo for the first time in his career
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner congratulates Ricciardo as Sebastian Vettel shakes hands with Helmut Marko
Vettel could not find a way past Hamilton as he finished second in front of Hamilton who maintains his championship lead
It was a race that threatened more drama than it produced. There were times when the tyres were going off – with Hamilton making plenty of noise over the radio about his graining rubber – and Ricciardo’s lead being diminished.
But Monaco being Monaco, its streets being cramped, none of the top three held enough of a speed advantage to overtake.
So the podium people finished where they had started. Indeed, that was the case with the top five, with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen fourth and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas fifth.
Sauber’s Charles Leclerc crashed into Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley late in the race to put the race under VSC conditions
But Ricciardo drove Red Bull to victory at the Monaco Grand Prix having started Sunday’s race from pole position
He faced stiff competition from Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel once it became clear Ricciardo was hampered with a power issue
Ricciardo started on pole and got a good release on the first corner as he held off the immediate pressure from Vettel
Away from the top two tussle, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen enjoyed an old-school dual with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton
Ricciardo was pushed all the way, not least on the hairpin, as his power struggles saw Ferrari sense an unlikely race victory
The Monaco GP is one of the most popular for supporters as F1 fans gathered on a hillside to try and get the best view point
Max Verstappen (left) attacks Carlos Sainz on approach to the Nouvelles chicane having been forced to start from the back
The Red Bull driver passed the Renault driver at the chicane on his way to claiming two points in ninth place
It was Ricciardo’s second win of the season, and a richly deserved one. He was the man of the weekend, being quickest in every session from first practice to the final corner.
The result meant Vettel cut his deficit to Hamilton at the top of the drivers’ standings to 14 points, down three, ahead of the next race in Montreal a fortnight hence.
That track in Canada is a Hamilton favourite, so minimising the losses here on a circuit at which Mercedes and he have struggled in recent years, was a good piece of damage limitation in the wider championship picture.
Ricciardo leads Vettel through Beau Rivage up the hill at turn two as spectators watch from balconies above
Vettel exits Portier corner as he prepares to enter the tunnel section on his way to finishing second for Ferrari
Drivers tackle the harbour section of the circuit before entering the swimming pool complex at Monte Carlo
Williams’ engineers prepare for a pit stop as they endured a tough afternoon for both Sergey Sirotkin and Lance Stroll
McLaren’s Spanish driver Fernando Alonso looked on in disbelief as a gearbox issue forced him to become the first retirement
Hamilton struggled to see it that way for a large chunk of the race. ‘I told you about this tyre,’ he complained over the radio. And then said: ‘I can’t believe these tyres are going to last 40 more laps.’ They did.
It was an afternoon of partial redemption for Max Verstappen. He started at the back of the grid after a needless crash in the third practice session that forced him to miss qualifying. He raced better than he practised pushing up to finish ninth.
McLaren’s Fernando Alonso retired at Sainte Devote, with a reliability problem – gearbox or engine. Oh, for Honda’s indestructible power unit! He was running seventh and being pursued by Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly.
Monaco’s race hinges on a safety car to enliven it. We did not get one. The action suffered for it, even though local boy Charles Leclerc drove his Sauber into the back of Brendon Hartey’s Toro Rosso on the exit of the tunnel, briefly causing a Virtual Safety Car to be introduced.
But the paucity of drama at the front did not matter to Ricciardo, who had dominated slowly from first place, as he drank the victor’s sweaty champagne from the inside of his racing boot.
Having been quickest in every session in the weekend, spirit was unsurprisingly high with Ricciardo and the Red Bull camp
Away from divers and engineers, there were lots of smiles as Monaco saw a return of grid girls after other circuits cut them
The paddock welcomed a star-studded cast as Championship leader Hamilton posed next to Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble
Game of Thrones pair Kit Harington and Liam Cunningham cut relaxed figures as they soaked up the sun before the race
Roma legend Francesco Totti was all smiles as he assumed a place on a packed-out grid moments before the race started
American football icon Tom Brady had the crowd eating from the palm of his hands as he pulled off a throw across the water