That has worked perfectly for Aston Martin and Lance Stroll.

Lando Norris wants to know how his front-left tyre is looking and the positive reply from his engineer is his is the best out of the top four. Result.

Lance Stroll is called in by Aston Martin and 2.3secs later the Canadian is back out into the action in 11th place.

If the race finishes like this, then Verstappen would still lead the championship but that will have reduced his lead to 31 points.

Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris clear the backmarkers successfully and carry on with their latest lap of the Monaco Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc is two seconds up the road on Australian Piastri.

Antony Short: Why haven't Mercedes pitted Hamilton, there's a big enough gap. He's got nothing to lose.

Chris: Lewis is 23 seconds ahead of Tsunoda now

Leclerc is being told to slow down so that they can't allow a pit-stop gap which is around about 19-20 seconds for the McLarens.

Oscar Piastri has a keen eye for what's going on with the Ferrari in front of him, so the Australian jumps on the radio to his pit wall to try assess the thoughts of Charles Leclerc and his pit wall.

Charles Leclerc receives a message from his new race engineer to say if he can slow down just a touch, that would be grand, as the team don't want to give Lando Norris in fourth a pit stop window.

If Carlos Sainz has to make a pit-stop, for example, if there is no way he can get these tyres to the end, his only option is to go for another hard or a soft.

I suspect if he can run long enough the soft will be the one, but they really don't last very long round this track in these temperatures.

The laps are ticking away in Monte Carlo, which means Charles Leclerc is getting closer and closer to a home victory. Oscar Piastri is sitting in second and Leclerc's Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz is in the final podium place.

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

4. Lando Norris (McLaren)

5. George Russell (Mercedes)

Charles Leclerc has improved his time over Oscar Piastri and now holds a 1.169-second gap over the McLaren. The Ferrari driver is also 21 seconds ahead of fifth place George Russell.

David: Is it time to bin the famous circuit of Monaco. It always seems to be a race of follow the leader.

Millington: Monaco truly is a real endurance race, without question the greatest test of the ability to show concentration and focus…….for the viewer.

Fernando Alonso is the Pied Piper of Monaco with a line of cars following behind from his P12 position.

Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri is deep in conversation with his McLaren engineer to talk complicated race strategies.

Image source, Getty Images

There is a gap developing with Lance Stroll down in 11th and Fernando Alosno, who has got a seven second gap in front of him in 12th, perhaps playing the team game with Stroll out in front.

The track is just one big snaking queue of Formula 1 cars. Carlos Sainz is on the team radio to talk strategy with his pit wall and the best way to avoid handing Lando Norris any advantages in fourth. The Spaniard adds he has also noticed some graining on everyone's tyres.

Charles Leclerc is just under a second in front of the other McLaren of Oscar Piastri. The top four are on those hard tyres after originally starting this 78-lap on the mediums.

The barriers at Turn One nearly welcome a visit from Lando Norris left tyres but the McLaren driver smoothly avoids causing any damage and carries on up the hill.

McLaren pick up the phone to give a friendly call to Lando Norris, telling the Briton they have spotted the first signs of graining on Carlos Sainz's tyres. Interesting...