Crash helps Vettel win at Monaco

MONACO – Defending Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel won the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday for his fifth victory in six races this season, beating Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button in a thriller in which several drivers failed to finish.

His only loss came when McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton beat him in China.

The German gambled by staying out on the same set of soft tires with both Alonso and Button were on his tail for the last 15 laps.

That gamble looked ready to backfire until a crash on lap 72 resulted in a red flag that suspended the session.

When the race resumed, Vettel had changed tires, and the last few laps became a procession.

“I saw the only chance to win this race was to try and stay out. I was nearly 20 laps under pressure with Fernando and Jenson behind, it was getting closer and closer,” Vettel said.

After one lap, Vettel was ahead by 2.4 seconds and stretched his lead to nearly four seconds by the third.