Lewis Hamilton wins thrilling Monaco GP ahead of Ricciardo

MONACO - Lewis Hamilton won an incident-packed Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday to get his Formula One championship bid back on track after a dismal run of eight races without a win.

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo started from pole position and finished second, with Mexican driver Sergio Perez third for Force India.

Hamilton, the defending F1 champion, started from third but soon overtook his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, and then held off Ricciardo with a gritty blocking move midway through.

Because of poor visibility and a drenched circuit, the first few laps were a procession behind a safety car.

182581But once the racing began properly, it was a thriller featuring multiple crashes and a huge blunder from Ricciardo's team.