From heartbreak to glory: Ricciardo’s iconic Monaco win

29th May 2026 0 By Joe Briley

Daniel Ricciardo’s victory at the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix remains one of Formula 1’s most rememberable drives – a race won through both outright pace and sheer resilience.

Feature image credit: Getty Images // Red Bull Content Pool

Two years after one of the most painful moments of his F1 career, Ricciardo returned to Monte Carlo and produced a drive that remains one of the greatest victories of the modern F1 era – even after losing a significant portion of his engine power midway through the grand prix.

While it should’ve been straightforward in many aspects, Ricciardo’s 2018 win ended up becoming unforgettable.

The background: Monaco heartbreak in 2016

To understand how special Ricciardo’s 2018 victory was, the 2016 event has to be taken into account.

Back in 2016, the Australian looked certain to claim victory after dominating much of the weekend for Red Bull. He secured pole position and controlled the race before a disastrous pit stop error cost him the lead to eventual champion, Lewis Hamilton.

Ricciardo was left sitting stationary in the pit lane as tyres failed to arrive, just leaving him to watch a race win slip away.

For Ricciardo, Monaco 2018 was not just another race; it was a chance to erase one of F1’s cruellest memories.

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Untouchable Ricciardo

Ricciardo looked in complete control from the opening laps of practice in 2018.

The Red Bull driver topped every session and carried that pace into Qualifying, delivering an incredible lap to secure pole position by more than two tenths over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. Around the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, that margin felt enormous.

The RB14 looked perfectly suited to the circuit’s slow-speed corners and aggressive kerb riding in Ricciardo’s hands, with the Australian looking completely at one with the car.

After taking pole position, everything pointed towards redemption.

Lap 1: Calm under pressure

When the lights went out on Sunday, Ricciardo made the perfect start. Throughout the early stages of the race, he remained composed at the front, building a gap to Vettel behind.

The race was going as expected for Ricciardo until disaster struck, changing everything.

Lap 28: Another Monaco win lost?

On Lap 28, Ricciardo was on the radio reporting a major loss of power. The issue was caused by the MGU-K, a vital hybrid component that contributes around 160 horsepower in modern F1 machinery.

Ricciardo was racing around Monaco massively down on power. At most circuits, the victory would’ve disappeared instantly but at Monaco he still had a chance.

Straight Line mode unavailable for Monaco Grand Prix

The drive that defined Ricciardo

For the remaining 50 laps, Ricciardo delivered one of the most intelligent and controlled defensive drives F1 has seen in recent years.

Vettel closed in on the Australian, and while every acceleration zone exposed Red Bull’s weakness, Ricciardo never cracked. Instead, he adapted instantly, positioning the car perfectly through Monaco’s narrow streets. While Vettel sat at striking distance, Ricciardo’s driving, combined with Monaco’s layout, meant the German couldn’t make a move.

The Australian was counting down the laps to the finish, and as they kept falling, the victory felt even more possible. Ricciardo took the chequered flag, marking what would end up being his final Red Bull victory and second-to-last in F1.

Redemption completed

When Ricciardo crossed the finish line, the emotion was immediate. The victory wasn’t just another F1 win, it was the Australians’ greatest triumph.

The celebrations afterwards showed just how much it meant. Red Bull celebrated wildly on the pit wall, and Ricciardo did the iconic celebration in the Red Bull Energy Station pool.

Monaco awarded Ricciardo’s perfection like other tracks wouldn’t and for 78 laps in 2018, even with a wounded car, he delivered the perfect performance.

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Why the win still matters

F1 has seen bigger victories, more dramatic title deciders and faster cars since 2018 but Ricciardo’s Monaco win endures because it showcased all of his qualities. It marked the peak of Ricciardo’s Red Bull career, and within months, he would announce his shock move to Renault, ending a hugely successful partnership with the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

But before his chapter at Red Bull closed, he delivered one final masterpiece in Monaco – the race he should’ve already won, and the one he ultimately refused to lose twice.

From heartbreak to glory: Ricciardo’s iconic Monaco win