Lewis Hamilton:
I'm really, really happy that I was able to fight back to seventh. The strategists said P10 was probably the maximum today, 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. Today 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.
Valtteri Bottas:
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.
Daniel Ricciardo:
"I'm much happier today. I can't obviously complain how it worked out and I have to thank the team. It was cool to show some pace today and we had that clear track. I didn't think the tyres had that much more but I just got into that rhythm, was able to punch out some good times. I knew the pace was right, my engineer was encouraging me on the radio saying: "Pace is really good. Keep going, keep going!" That was certainly motivating and my thanks to the homies. After the safety car it was pretty unexpected when I touched the wall as I didn't brake late or anything, I felt I was quite cautious, but then when I turned I thought the car isn't turning, I then hit the wall and thought I damaged the front wing or something but in the end it was okay. I'm just happy to be back on the podium to be honest. That was definitely the icing on the cake and is a reward for myself and the team."
Max Verstappen:
"It is very disappointing after such a clean weekend where everything has gone really well to then feel I lost out on a podium, but I guess that is racing. I tried everything I could to get close to Bottas, you can say we stopped too early or should have gone longer but that is always easy to think after the race. Even after the safety car, I was on fresh, softer rubber but with the wide cars and dirty air you can't make a move and I had no real chance of overtaking here. I think I did 77 laps in traffic today, that isn't much fun and I couldn't push but at least we finished the race which is the biggest positive from the day."
Sebastian Vettel:
It's an incredible day. In the laps before my pit-stop I was surprised by my own pace because earlier on Kimi and I were both struggling with the rear tires. Those laps I did today were comparatively better than the ones I did in qualifying yesterday. It was impossible for me to predict how fast I could go today. At one point I thought a second, maybe half a second, but then it turned out it was more than that, which was obviously crucial to grant me first place out of the box. It was fantastic to be in the lead and win the race. There was a lot of adrenaline during those laps but in general I could control the race. It sure helps to be the leading car, without any traffic, so that you get better into the rhythm. Once I had new tires, again I was able to control the position. We had the chance this weekend to finish first and second and that's what the team did. It's great to see what we were able to do. Today the team gained a lot of points. It's been a while since Ferrari won here so it's a great day. I really enjoyed driving for the team. It is great to work together, we try to push each other and the best thing is to see that the team keeps growing.
Kimi Raikkonen:
To finish first and second is what we wanted, a very good result for the whole team. Obviously right now I'm not very happy, because second place is not what I was looking for, but that's how it goes. When you have done most of the hard work and you finish second it's not bad, but we expected a bit more. When I came out after the pit stop I got stuck behind lapped cars and that was not ideal, but this was out of my control. At the next track in Canada the layout is completely different from here: it's hard to predict what will happen, but let's see.
Sergio Perez:
"It's disappointing to come away from here with no points. Our race was compromised on the first lap, when I made contact with Sainz and damaged my front wing. We had to stop early and ended up in traffic, and it was always going to be difficult to recover to the points. We had a lot of pace in the car, but overtaking is always a challenge, even when you are much faster than the cars in front. After the Safety Car, with the field bunched up, I was on fresh tyres and all the cars ahead were struggling. I had a big opportunity to make up a few positions, but in Monaco there is no way to overtake without taking risks. I wasn't any more aggressive than when I passed Palmer, Vandoorne or Stroll earlier in the race, but with Daniil [Kvyat] he didn't give me enough space and we touched. It wasn't a big hit but it was enough to ruin both our races. Even though I missed out on points, I am proud of my race because I gave everything I could. I feel really sorry for my team because we deserved more from this weekend and our string of good results is over, but we can take a lot of positives from today and build on them for the rest of the season."
Esteban Ocon:
"It has been a difficult day and a tough weekend overall. Things just didn't work out for us in the race, which is a shame because we had strong pace and should have finished in the points. I was fighting with Felipe [Massa] in the early part of the race and we managed to undercut him during the pit stops, but then I picked up a puncture - probably from debris - and had to make an extra pit stop. That really compromised my race. So there was some bad luck, but I want to focus on the positives. The car felt good in clean air and the team made all the right decisions. We were just missing the luck today."
Felipe Massa:
I'm happy with the result and scoring points today. We had brake issues from the start and I had to manage them from the very first lap. I've never had to do that before in my career! At the end, I could see Perez trying to pass me on his fresh tyres and I thought ‘stay here and just try to get some points', which is exactly what happened. My experience as a driver definitely helped me to get points today, so I'm very happy.
Lance Stroll:
I was driving OK but then we had an issue at the end so we had to stop. Unfortunately, these things happen, especially at Monaco. There were several incidents, which meant that the tyres lost temperature and it was really hard to get that back. But the next race is my home event and I'm feeling positive going into that. It's going to be very special to go home and to know that our car can be strong there.
Jenson Button:
"Today was a disappointing day and one where we couldn't make any progress. The race was made very difficult from lap one, and then obviously the incident happened with Pascal [Wehrlein]. His tyres were completely gone from lap one - I know because I had the same set of tyres on from the start of the race after I pitted just after the start.
"I had a lot more traction coming out of the previous corner, because when these tyres go on the marbles they have no grip. I thought I was a long way up the inside and then I looked across and saw that he hadn't seen me, so I tried to back out, but obviously it was too late by then.
"You do struggle to see in these cars, but you don't think in that moment that the guy's not going to see me when you go up the inside. I gave it a go and thought it was a fair enough judgment, but it didn't work out. You never like seeing a car tip over because you don't know if his head's going to hit anything, but the most important thing is that Pascal is okay - I spoke to him and he's a bit shaken of course but the best thing is he walked out okay.
"Today was a bit frustrating, but, as a racing driver, it's difficult to just drive around at the back and not get to have a go. I had a go, and thought it was a fair enough judgement, but it didn't work out. I'm sorry to the team for even more damage this weekend. I enjoyed some laps today too, but obviously I never want to damage that car, and it's not something I do very often. Yesterday was awesome - I loved it - and I'll take away lots of good memories.
"I hope Fernando has a good safe race this afternoon and we're all looking forward to it."
Stoffel Vandoorne
"It's a shame we haven't come away with any points this weekend. I think we'd all hoped to get a little bit more out of the weekend.
"Towards the end of the race, I knew it would be difficult at the restart. It's always difficult to heat up the Supersofts, and we knew we wouldn't be able to cover Sergio [Perez] and Felipe [Massa], who'd switched to the Option behind the Safety Car. That wasn't an option for us - when you're in the top 10, you've got to keep your position. It was hard to get the tyres and brakes up to temperature, and I just had nowhere to go at Turn One, unfortunately.
"So, this isn't the result we wanted this weekend, but there are still positives to take away from Monaco: we may still be lacking overall performance, but we've made some useful steps forward this weekend. There's still a lot of work to do - but I remain optimistic."
Carlos Sainz Jr:
"What a result, what a perfect weekend! We need to enjoy this moment, because it's not usual to achieve a faultless Grand Prix on the streets of Monaco - and this time we did! We put in good laps in practice, in yesterday's qualifying session and, in today's race, we were able to keep a World Champion in a faster car behind and finish P6 - it definitely feels so good! We've also been quicker than the rest of the midfield throughout the whole weekend and I'd like to thank the whole team for this, they gave me a very good car to drive! I really enjoyed today's race - now it's time to celebrate this well-deserved result with the team before starting to think about the Canadian GP, which is up next!"
Daniil Kvyat:
"How annoying! Unfortunately, Perez just drove into me, trying a very desperate move, and he ruined our race. It's even more frustrating because I was feeling good in the car, it was just getting better and better and until that moment I was fighting for points, running in P9. It's been a challenging weekend, but it could've ended up with a positive outcome if the crash hadn't happened - every time we were in free air we were very competitive! Let's hope we have a better end to the race next time out in Canada."
Romain Grosjean:
"It's the first time we've had two cars in the top-10, so that's really good, especially in Monaco. It was a tough race. We didn't have the pace to stay with the first few guys. Unfortunately, nothing was happening at the front, it was all behind me. Every time a car retired it was behind me. Lewis (Hamilton) had some free air, and then managed to jump us at the pit stop. It's great to have the two cars in the points. We managed to stay out of trouble and I drove as fast as I could. There's a lot more we need to analyze and understand, but we're growing as a team."
Kevin Magnussen:
"Personally, I had a very disappointing race. I had a puncture, but to still finish in the points with both cars is a really good job from the team. They really deserve this. I'm happy we got it. Even though it's just one point, it could've been a lot more. I feel like I've had the most unlucky season of my life, but at least today we got both cars in the points and I'm proud of the team for that. It's Monaco, and a lot of things can happen. There's no reason to give up, you still push, and that's what I did. I kept pushing."
Nico Hulkenberg:
"I think a few points were possible today. We were comfortable in P10 and there was definitely potential to make some places. The thing about Monaco is you have to stay in the game and I think ninth or even eighth was possible had we been able to do that. It was pretty sudden. I saw smoke coming out from the back of the car and the team told me to stop the car; diagnosis, gearbox failure. As a driver it's disappointing but it certainly doesn't detract from our potential. We'll bounce back in Montréal."
Jolyon Palmer:
"I'm happy with the race, the pace was pretty good and there were no mistakes. I enjoyed it; to hustle the car around Monaco for 78 laps was great and the tyres were hanging on, so you could really push the whole way through, which was stellar. It's pretty hard to overtake here, so eleventh from P16 was it, and just one second away from getting the first point of the year! It felt much better than P11 and we can take this momentum to Canada."
Marcus Ericsson:
"It has been a very tough weekend from the start to the end. With the pace we have had this weekend, the race was decent from my side. Unfortunately, I then had some issues with the brakes overheating behind the safety car. I tried to bring the brake temperature down, but at the same time I had to keep the tyres in the right working window. The combination of overheating brakes and cold tyres made me struggle a lot to stop the car, so I could not avoid sliding into the barriers."
Pascal Wehrlein:
"I am feeling okay after the accident. I could get out of the car by myself and went for the usual medical examination. As my head touched the barriers, it will be decided within the coming days if I need another medical investigation, also because of the previous thoracic vertebra injury. I am very upset as this is a result of an unneccesary overtaking manoeuvre, bearing in mind that Jenson and I were both on a similar strategy with the pit stop in the first lap, far off from points; an annoying incident which should not have happened."
