Lewis Hamilton loses Monaco GP to Rosberg after strategic error

Summary

Rosberg wins after Hamilton pits from lead during a late safety car
Vettel 2nd, Hamilton 3rd after German also passes him
Furious Hamilton seemingly stops at end of race and stares out to sea
Briton then knocks over third place sign as he pulls up to podium
Verstappen crashes heavily after series of clever overtakes
Maldonado, Alonso, Verstappen out

Live Reporting

Gary Rose

Lap 52/78published at 14:12 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
Lewis Hamilton wanted the perfect weekend and, so far, it is looking like being just that. He's now 11s clear of Nico Rosberg, who is two seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel.
Not one of the best races of the season, I'll confess, but plenty of laps to go...
Image source, AFP
Postpublished at 14:10 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
Image source, Formula 1
Former Caterham and Sauber driver Gio van der Garde tweets:, external "At least I can say I got as many F1 points as Alonso so far this season..."
Ouch.
Thirty laps to gopublished at 14:09 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
This is how the top 10 looks with 48 of the 78 laps completed. Further down the field Max Verstappen makes his second stop, pitting from 12th. No botched stop this time as supersofts are bolted on without any bother. He is back out in 13th, behind team-mate Carlos Sainz.
Postpublished at 14:07 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
Image source, Mercedes
Mercedes: The leader is so quick you can't quite get him in focus...!
Postpublished at 14:06 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
Image source, AP
Up in front, Lewis Hamilton's lead is 10 seconds on lap 45. Nico Rosberg laps a shade quicker than his Mercedes team-mate, 0.012s, but he'll need more than that to deny Hamilton a first Monaco GP win since 2008.
Get involved #bbcf1published at 14:03 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
Reece Young: As sad as it is, I think people are becoming disillusioned with Monaco. It just doesn't provide exciting racing.
Phil Slocombe: Will be horrendous bad luck for Lewis if the brake problem can´t be managed and costs him the win.
Jeremiah Kariuki: Barring any reliability issues, McLaren Honda are going for their first points!
Just as Alonso retires!
Postpublished at 14:03 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
Image source, Formula 1
Fernando Alonso's radio says it was a gearbox issue.
"What happened, what happened," says a worried-sounding Jenson Button. "We don't think it will affect us," is the reply.
Postpublished at 14:02 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"Once again the car looks like it's just switched itself off. McLaren's hopes now rest with Button, running in eighth place."
Alonso out!published at 14:02 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
Oh no! It looks like Fernando Alonso has suffered the same electrical problem that cut short his qualifying as he locks up at Ste Devote and comes to a stop on the escape road. He climbs out of his McLaren and that's his race over.
Postpublished at 13:59 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
David Coulthard
BBC F1 co-commentator
"I don't want to tempt fate but there has been a fairly low crash rate through practice and qualifying. The drivers have done a good job. As the race gets into the second half though is where fatigue starts to play a part."
Postpublished at 13:59 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
Everyone has stopped at least once now with 37 laps to go. Kimi Raikkonen is up to fifth but locks up heading into Turn 11, allowing Daniel Ricciardo to eat into his advantage. The Ferrari is 2.1s ahead of the Red Bull.
Postpublished at 13:56 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
Ben Edwards
BBC F1 commentator
"Everything looking good for Hamilton to take his second Monaco victory. Untroubled, he just has to stay off those barriers."
LAP 40/78published at 13:56 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
Lewis Hamilton pits from the lead and it is a clean stop. He is back out in P1, 11.5s ahead of Nico Rosberg. He'll take some stopping now.
Postpublished at 13:54 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
James Allen
BBC Radio 5 live commentator
"Vettel is going to have to push like mad now."
Postpublished at 13:54 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
Image source, Getty Images
The leading trio have yet to make a stop...until now. Sebastian Vettel pits from third and Nico Rosberg responds, also diving in. A clean stop for Vettel but is back out in third, with Rosberg resuming in second.
"We didn't make it," says a dejected Vettel.
Image source, Reuters
Postpublished at 13:52 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
"How are the tyres?" ask the McLaren team of Jenson Button. "Struggling a lot more with the rears now," he replies. Button then heads in from seventh.
Meanwhile, Button's team-mate Alonso asks why he had the penalty and is reminded of the earlier incident with Hulkenberg.
Postpublished at 13:50 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
After that botched stop Max Verstappen is back out in 13th. Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso heads in for his first stop on lap 35, pitting from ninth, and serves his five-second penalty for that earlier contact with Nico Hulkenberg, who himself heads in for his second stop of the race. A good stop for Alonso as he is back out in ninth.
Postpublished at 13:48 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
Image source, Mercedes
Mercedes: All quiet in the pit lane... for now...
Postpublished at 13:47 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
He's not sounded completely happy with matters so far in this race, but Lewis Hamilton is only getting faster. He clocks a 1:19.7s on lap 30, the fastest of the race so far, and he is now nine seconds clear of Nico Rosberg.
Postpublished at 13:45 British Summer Time 24 May 2015
Ben Edwards
BBC F1 commentator
"That's the end of any hope of points for Verstappen. A huge pity when he was on for some here."