Just like anyone who has lost out in Monte Carlo's famous casino, fortune can be fickle in the principality. Sadly, fate did not favour the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport Team on this occasion, but Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have promised to bounce back next out in Canada.
Valtteri finished fourth after getting caught in traffic while Lewis did a solid job to go from 13th on the grid to finish seventh around the beautiful Monaco harbour. A victory for Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel adds yet more excitement into this year's drivers' championship, which is delicately poised between Vettel, Lewis and Valtteri.
Valtteri said: "Missing out on a first Monaco podium is painful. It's been a long week and we've worked so hard, so it's disappointing to miss out. I was stuck in the traffic while Daniel Ricciardo was running in free air and ultimately, that cost me a place on the podium.
"It's been a really tough weekend for us and we've just been missing pace. Ferrari were very strong this weekend and for whatever reason, their car seems easier to operate, so we have work to do. We have to learn from this, but there's a long year ahead. Hopefully this will be our worst weekend this season. Canada should be a different story."
For Lewis, the damage was done on Saturday when he struggled with the tires during qualifying. He started in 13th on the grid and fought his way back to seventh, picking up some points that could be crucial in deciding the outcome of this year's title race.
Lewis said: "I'm really happy that I was able to fight back to seventh. The strategists said P10 was probably the maximum, so it feels great to have beaten that target. To score six points, considering where I was on the grid after a disastrous day on Saturday is a good recovery."
At the chequered flag, Lewis took to his radio to deliver a message of encouragement to the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport Team and immediately shifted his focus to the Canadian Grand Prix.
Lewis added: "It was impossible to overtake and I tried everything to get past Carlos [Sainz] at the end! I'm just grateful to have ended up in P7. I went on the radio at the end there to make sure the team know that this battle isn't over. We'll be sure to push those red cars hard next time out in Canada. We've got a real fight on our hands, but there are still 14 races to go."
The Canadian Grand Prix goes live in Montreal on the 11th June. Stay tuned.
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 78 1h44m44.340s
2 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 78 3.145s
3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull/Renault 78 3.745s
4 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 78 5.517s
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Renault 78 6.199s
6 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso/Renault 78 12.038s
7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 78 15.801s
8 Romain Grosjean Haas/Ferrari 78 18.150s
9 Felipe Massa Williams/Mercedes 78 19.445s
10 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 78 21.443s
11 Jolyon Palmer Renault 78 22.737s
12 Esteban Ocon Force India/Mercedes 78 23.725s
13 Sergio Perez Force India/Mercedes 78 49.089s
14 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso/Renault 71 Collision
15 Lance Stroll Williams/Mercedes 71 Brakes
- Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren/Honda 66 Spun off
- Marcus Ericsson Sauber/Ferrari 63 Spun off
- Jenson Button McLaren/Honda 57 Collision
- Pascal Wehrlein Sauber/Ferrari 57 Collision
- Nico Hulkenberg Renault 15 Gearbox
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