Monaco F1 Grand Prix 2018 Results: Daniel Ricciardo Tops Sebastian Vettel to Win

Daniel Ricciardo claimed victory at the Monaco Grand Prix as he led from start to finish to win the race for the first time in his career. 

The Australian reported a loss of power early on but managed to bring his car home in first place ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who finished second, with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton in third.

The result means that Hamilton still tops the drivers' championship but sees his lead over Vettel cut to 14 points.

Formula 1 showed the final result:

Pole-sitter Ricciardo got off to a clean start and managed to maintain his lead ahead of Vettel and Hamilton.

The most eye-catching start came from the back of the grid where Max Verstappen, who had started last, made gains immediately as he went past both Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean.

Hamilton complained the race pace in the early laps was too slow, per Channel 4 F1:

The Mercedes driver opted to pit early, going in on Lap 12, which dropped him from third to sixth. It was a brave move by the team but one that did not pay off as Vettel pitted four laps later and came back out in front of his championship rival.

Verstappen was continuing to make his way through the field and was up to 14th place after just eight laps. Formula 1 showed how he was in a determined mood:

The drama finally began to unfold at the front, and it was leader Ricciardo who was the first to report problems, per Channel 4 F1:

Ricciardo was told by his race engineer the problem would not improve, with the Australian left to try to cope with his car with still over half of the race left to go.

He was not the only driver struggling as Hamilton was having issues with his tyres, per F1 editor Luke Smith:

Fernando Alonso was another driver who also reported problems before a gearbox issue finally forced him out of the race. It's the first race this season where the McLaren driver has failed to pick up points.

Ricciardo's issues meant that Vettel was able to close to within a second of the leader but was finding it difficult to pass on a track where overtaking opportunities are notoriously rare.

Mercedes-AMG F1 showed how tight it was at the front as the race headed towards its closing stages:

Elsewhere Verstappen was continuing his charge and set a new lap record, as shown by Smith:

However, his team also warned the 20-year-old, who crashed again in practice, to keep his overtaking clean for the rest of the race.

There was more drama in the closing stages as Charles Leclerc smashed into the back of Brendon Hartley, putting both drivers out and leaving debris all over the track.

A virtual safety car period ensued, and Ricciardo was the main beneficiary as he emerged five seconds clear of Vettel with just three laps to go.

After battling with his car for most of the race, that allowed Ricciardo to drive to the chequered flag with little pressure and claim his second win of the season.

It was a terrific performance from the Australian, who dominated the entire weekend in Monaco. It also puts him in the hunt in the drivers' championship as he moves into third place on 72 points.