Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has defied a wet Monte Carlo to win Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.
The first half of the race was one-way traffic on all levels until rain descended on the Principality to provide the race with the excitement that was required.
However, despite the initial uncertainty over tyre choice, Verstappen was still able to cruise to a fourth victory of the season ahead of Fernando Alonso and extend his lead at the top of the Drivers' Standings.
There were minimal incidents on the first lap - a surprise given the tracks obvious limitations - and it is plausible that nothing noteworthy would have occurred had the track not become wet in some parts and remained dry in others.
The defining moment of the race came when Alonso's Aston Martin team opted to act ahead of Verstappen, going for dry tyres when the rest of the field were picking intermediates.
That risk did not pay off, the rain not relenting as they expected, and it ensured that Verstappen led by 22 seconds when the field had settled on their selections.
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Alonso got the gap down to 16 seconds, increasing expectations over an enthralling finish, but Verstappen soon stepped up a gear to prevail by almost 28 seconds when he crossed the line for the chequered flag.
Alpine's Esteban Ocon was a terrific third - his previous best finish of the season being eighth - while Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton delivered a credible fourth.
A five-second penalty for George Russell proved irrelevant as he edged out Ferrari's Charles Leclerc for sixth, with his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr settling for eighth.
Pierre Gasly was seventh in the second Alpine, and the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completed the top 10.
With Sergio Perez never challenging for points due to starting at the back of the grid, Verstappen now leads the Championship by 39 points, Alonso within 12 points of second.
In the battle for the best of the rest, Hamilton holds a 19-point lead over Russell and 21-point advantage over Sainz Jr.
Darren Plant
