F1 LIVE: Lewis Hamilton unhappy at Monaco rain delay as Red Bull reveal how Sergio Perez can land new contract

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says Monaco should not take its place on the Formula One calendar for granted.

As it stands, Sergio Perez’s drive to victory on Sunday, will be the last on Monte Carlo’s famous streets unless a new deal is agreed.

F1’s American owners Liberty Media, and the Automobile Club de Monaco, remain locked in discussions.

Fernando Alonso says Lewis Hamilton cost Esteban Ocon points at the Monaco Grand Prix after the pair collided.

The coming together between Hamilton and Ocon gave the Alpine driver a five-second time penalty and when Alonso heard he stepped up the pace to try and help out his teammate. But Hamilton, who was behind Alonso but in front of Ocon, didn’t push the same which meant Ocon didn’t go faster to make up for the penalty.

“We had to do a lot of tyre management,” said Alonso. “We had some concerns that the yellow tyres (medium) could grain a lot on our car, and the first 10 or 15 laps I took care of the tyres a lot.

“After that I pushed again when they told me Esteban had to make a five-second gap, but at that point Hamilton didn’t want to push, hold Esteban at the back – yeah, disappointing.”

Red Bull team principal says Sergio Perez just needs to keep “doing what he’s doing” in order to bag a new contract.

Perez current deal runs out at the conclusion of the 2022 season but he is racing well and it could see him continue at the team. He most recently won the Monaco Grand Prix but he also played a key part in Max Verstappen’s world title win in 2021.

When asked what Perez needs to do to stay at Red Bull Horner said: “He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing. He’s doing a great job, we are very happy with him. He’s driven extremely well so far this year.

“The delta between him and Max [Verstappen], as you know, has diminished significantly compared to last season. I think he’s happier in the car. He’s achieved that fantastic pole position already in Jeddah this year.

Formula 1 governing body the FIA have been forced to defend their decisions at the Monaco Grand Prix after criticism from drivers.

The race was delayed for over an hour due to weather conditions and then was red flagged after Mick Schumacher crashed. It meant only 64 of the 77 laps were raced and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton criticised race director Eduardo Freitas’ decision to delay when it was only “drizzling”.

“We are Formula One drivers, so that is definitely not a good reason,” Hamilton said. “I was like ‘let’s go’ when it was just drizzling a little bit at the beginning. We will talk about it in the drivers’ briefing but we should have started the race.”

The FIA said the decision was taken as the practice and qualifying sessions were dry and that they also had issues with power outages after the downpour.

Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner is unhappy over Mick Schumacher’s Monaco crash, insisting the team must ‘move forward’.

“I’m feeling alright,” said Schumacher. “Obviously it’s very annoying. I think in terms of pace we were definitely there, it’s just a matter of keeping it on track, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to do that.

“The pace felt strong, and it felt like we were able to attack and push. We just ended up being a little too wide, which is maybe a matter of 10cm at the end, and that was enough to lose all grip that you thought you had. And unfortunately the result is as it happened.”

“It’s a dream come true,” said Sergio Perez. “As a driver you dream of winning here. After your home race I think there is no other more special race to win. To do it and the way we did it, we made it a bit harder for us at the end… With the graining I had, to not make any mistakes, bring it home – keeping Carlos behind wasn’t easy.

“I’m for sure very, very happy. I was running today a Pedro Rodriguez helmet, I’m sure up there he is super proud of what we have achieved together in the sport.”

It was an emotional day for Checo!

Sergio Perez delivered the goods, propelling himself back into the title picture in the process.

The Mexican is acquiring thousands of fans each week.

The race was delayed by over an hour due to the poor weather and the track was still damp when the race finally got underway.

Norris managed a sixth-place finish but admitted it was difficult to drive aggressively due to the fear of making a mistake.

“I can’t describe how tough driving a Formula 1 car is in really wet conditions around this circuit,” he told Sky Sports F1. “It’s one of the most nerve-wracking, scary things I’ve ever done in my life.

“It’s so tough. You know you want to push because you know other people can make mistakes but when you think like that, that’s also when you start to make a mistake.”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says Monaco should not take its place on the Formula One calendar for granted.

As it stands, Sergio Perez’s drive to victory on Sunday, will be the last on Monte Carlo’s famous streets unless a new deal is agreed.

F1’s American owners Liberty Media, and the Automobile Club de Monaco, remain locked in discussions.

Fernando Alonso says Lewis Hamilton cost Esteban Ocon points at the Monaco Grand Prix after the pair collided.

The coming together between Hamilton and Ocon gave the Alpine driver a five-second time penalty and when Alonso heard he stepped up the pace to try and help out his teammate. But Hamilton, who was behind Alonso but in front of Ocon, didn’t push the same which meant Ocon didn’t go faster to make up for the penalty.

“We had to do a lot of tyre management,” said Alonso. “We had some concerns that the yellow tyres (medium) could grain a lot on our car, and the first 10 or 15 laps I took care of the tyres a lot.

“After that I pushed again when they told me Esteban had to make a five-second gap, but at that point Hamilton didn’t want to push, hold Esteban at the back – yeah, disappointing.”