Monaco F1 Grand Prix 2017: Sebastian Vettel Wins, Increases Championship Lead

Ferrari took the top two spots in the 2017 Monaco Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday, leading from start to finish on the narrow streets of the iconic circuit. Sebastian Vettel finished first, ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo took third place, ahead of Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas. Lewis Hamilton worked his way into the points after his poor luck in qualifying, finishing seventh.

Here's a look at Sunday's results, via the F1 official Twitter account:

Before the start of the race, reporters caught this remarkable exchange between Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, his one-race replacement at McLaren, via BBC Sport's Andrew Benson:

Ferrari needed a perfect getaway on the narrow streets of Monaco and got just that, with Raikkonen maintaining pole and Vettel slotting in behind entering the first corner.

Hamilton quickly made a move on Stoffel Vandoorne before getting caught in traffic, while the Ferrari duo pushed the pace early. Both Button and Pascal Wehrlein pitted early and nearly collided.

Everything seemed to be going Ferrari's way, but Raikkonen's tyres appeared to start falling off before Lap 20, with Bottas suddenly lapping fastest. On top of that, Hamilton moved into the points after Nico Hulkenberg's Renault ground to a halt, with smoke coming out of it.

To make matters worse, the German had to make the long walk back wearing Star Wars-themed overalls, as shared by ESPN F1:

Red Bull attempted the undercut on Bottas with Max Verstappen, but a slow pitstop meant the Finn emerged with a one-second lead. The clean air did allow Ricciardo to exit the pit lane ahead of Bottas.

At the front, Vettel emerged in first place on the super-softs, giving him a seemingly clean run to another win. Benson weighed in on the overcut:

Hamilton went for a very late stop, moving him into seventh place to start the final stint of the race.

While the field seemed set, there was some late drama, as the track started to break up in Turn 1, on the racing line. It led to several punctures, and the top contenders had to be careful.

And while all of that was going on, Wehrlein suffered a heavy crash. The young German ended up in the barriers just ahead of the tunnel section, but fortunately, he was okay, per former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde:

The crash was caused by contact with Button, whose race also came to a premature end.

Due to the crash and resulting safety car, the time gaps fell, with the field close together for the last part of the race. Marcus Ericsson somehow managed to crash under the safety car, leaving Sauber with no cars running.

Vandoorne also ended up in the barriers, while Ricciardo managed to get away with a clip. Mercedes' official Twitter account couldn't believe it:

Hamilton put some pressure on Carlos Sainz before opting to lift off, preserving seventh place with three laps to race. There was no more late drama, as Vettel held on for the win.

The result pushes his advantage to 25 points, meaning he could effectively skip a race and still be guaranteed at least a share of the lead in the standings.