15:20: That pretty much brings an end to our coverage of the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix. This is James Sloan signing off, thanks for joining me for an enthralling afternoon of Formula One action, around one of the greatest circuits in motor racing this afternoon.
15:17: The rivalry between the Mercedes teammates is becoming more and more fierce, which is only going to draw further comparisons with Prost and Senna. The post-race tension between the two only makes the Canadian Grand Prix an even more exciting prospect. That race takes place on June 8, and we will once again bring you live text coverage of that race.
15:12: Nico Rosberg returns to the summit of the Driver's Standings. The top 10 in the championship are now as follows: Rosberg (122), Hamilton (118), Alonso (61), Ricciardo (54), Hulkenberg (47), Vettel (45), Bottas (34), Button (31), Magnussen (21), Perez (20).
15:10: The rest of the finishers outside the top 10 were: Ericsson, Raikkonen, Kobayashi, Chilton. A total of eight retirements (Gutierrez, Bottas, Vergne, Sutil, Kvyat, Vettel, Perez, Maldonado) aided Bianchi's magnificent Marussia finish.
15:08: Bianchi dropped one place post-race due to his five-second penalty. Nevertheless, Marussia - who joined the sport in 2010 - have scored their first ever points in Formula One.
15:05: The top 10 were as follows: Rosberg, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Button, Massa, Grosjean, Bianchi, Magnussen.
15:04: Benedict Cumberbatch now has the difficult task of interviewing the top three.
15:01: The Aussie puts his arm around Rosberg, but Hamilton distances himself for podium photos. The teammates are separated during champagne celebrations also. Neither man has yet to look at one another.
14:59: Ricciardo is jolly as always as he collects his third-place trophy. Alongside him are the Mercedes pair as the German national anthem sounds out to signal Rosberg's victory.
14:57: Contrasting post-race reactions for the Mercedes drivers. Rosberg is jubilant and jumping around with his mechanics,meanwhile Hamilton is more measured. The two haven't yet acknowledged one another.
14:55: Marussia look to have secured their first ever points in F1, courtesy of Jules Bianchi. Official results to follow.
14:53: Lap 78 - Nico Rosberg wins the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix! Lewis Hamilton holds off Daniel Ricciardo to finish second ahead of the third-placed Red Bull. Fernando Alonso comes and comfortable fourth.
14:51: Lap 77 - Still nothing to separarte Hamilton and Ricciardo as they complete the penultimate lap. Button closing on Hulkenberg in fifth.
14:50: Lap 76 - Magnussen and Raikkonen remain in the race but lose ground. Bianchi rises to eighth now. Ricciardo pressuring Hamilton here. Rosberg looks set to take the lead in the Driver's Standings.
14:48: Lap 75 - Top 10 are now as follows: Rosberg, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Button, Masssa, Bianchi, Grosjean, Magnussen.
14:47: Lap 74 - Button overtakes Magnussen in front of pursuing Hamilton. Raikkonen collided with Magnussen at hairpin, both Scandinavian drivers could be out. Hamilton has Ricciardo right on his tail.
14:45: Lap 73 - A lot of traffic to navigate for Hamilton, he needs to keep Ricciardo behind him. Raikkonen is cleared by both podium sitters.
14:44: Lap 72 - Less than four seconds separate second and third. With backmarkers around, an overtake could be made easier for the Red Bull driver. Ricciardo now has Hamilton fully in his sights.
14:42: Lap 70 - Hamilton's cushion over Ricciardo is reducing all the time. Over the radio, the Brit only seems concerned about the gap to race leader, Rosberg. Nevertheless, Ricciardo sets another fastest lap of the race to chip further away at the deficit. At just over six seconds, Hamilton will soon divert his attention to his wing mirrors.
14:39: Lap 68 - Hulkenberg will have to deal with both McLarens in the final laps potentially. Magnussen is right on his gearbox whilst Button is also in the picture.
14:36: Lap 66 - Bianchi sanctioned with five-second penalty. He currently sits seven seconds ahead of Grosjean and can't let that drop below five seconds. Hamilton's lack of pace can be attributed to his obscured vision. Dirt in his eye has been slowing his lap times.
14:35: Lap 65 - Ricciardo sets fastest lap of the race. The Aussie now trails Hamilton by just over 10 seconds.
14:33: Lap 64 - Bianchi could be subject to a five-second penalty post-race, so a lead over Grosjean must be maintained if he hopes to earn a point.
14:31: Lap 62 - Gutierrez spins after clipping the wall just before pit entrance. Safety car once again under consideration. Bianchi rises to 10th!
14:30: Lap 61 - Ricciardo now making a move on the leaders - only 13 seconds behind Rosberg and Hamilton.
14:27: Lap 59 - Bianchi is currently under investigation for serving a stop/go penalty while the safety car was out. A potential, additional five-second penalty could shatter his dreams of a top 10 finish.
14:25: Lap 58 - Safety car not necessary as crane lifts the Williams away. Bottas fails to finish in the points for the first time this season. Conversely, Marussia could be on for their first ever points in Formula One. Bianchi has now risen to 11th, with 20 laps still to go.
14:24: Lap 57 - Bottas also retires with an engine failure. His car crawls to a halt at the Grand Hotel Hairpin. A third safety car may be required here.
14:22: Lap 56 - We have seen some intense conclusions to Grands Prix here in recent years, and this could be another. Bottas heads a four-car train also including Gutierrez, Raikkonen and Massa - all are battling for eighth.
14:19: Lap 53 - This race is finely poised with 25 laps to go. The Mercedes duo will slog it out for the victory, whilst there are inidividual battles occuring throughout the field.
14:17: Lap 52 - Vergne will become the second Toro Rosso retirement here. Engine trouble forces him to return to his garage as blue smoke emanates from the rear of his car. Bianchi now has some breathing space in 12th. Grosjean is the next man back.
14:15: Lap 50 - Vergne shadowing Bianchi for 12th. An important battle as, if the Marussia maintains position, they will move clear of Caterham in the Constructors' Championship.
14:13: Lap 48 - Rosberg currently conserving fuel, which is allowing Hamilton to race all over the back of his rear wing. The German needs a few more laps in this mode before he can return to normal racing. Can Hamilton take the lead?
14:10: Lap 46 - Massa finally makes his first trip to the pit-lane. He returns to the track in 11th, just outside the points. His fresher rubber will make him a contender to make inroads into the points-scoring positions.
14:08: Lap 45 - Massa still going strong in fifth, despite not pitting yet.
14:03: Lap 42 - Less than a second still separating the Mercedes cars. Top 10 are as follows: Rosberg, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Alonso, Massa,Hulkenberg, Magnussen, Button, Bottas, Gutierrez.
14:02: Lap 41 - Rosberg recieves radio warning that his fuel level could become critical towards the end, despite two safety car periods already being experienced. This shows how hard he has been pushing.
14:00: Lap 39 - Half distance is reached and a lot of the field are hoping to last on their current sets of tyres. Will be interesting to see if degradation plays a major role in deciding the outcome of this race.
13:59: Lap 38 - Vergne serves stop/go penalty and returns to track behind Bianchi. Marussia man up to 12th now.
13:55: Lap 36 - Felipe Massa still running sixth without pitting. With a 20% chance of rain, his afternoon could prove to be very lucrative. Jules Bianchi follows Raikkonen through to complete a double pass on Kobayashi. Contact made by Marussia and Caterham. Both teams have a potential world championship point in their sights.
13:53: Lap 33 - Raikkonen trying to make his way back into the points. Passes Kobayashi but locks up into chicane, goes over the curbs and has to surrender position.
13:51: Lap 32 - A lot of overtakes now taking place with fresher rubber on most of the field. Magnussen passes Hulkenberg, but the Force India fights back and makes a brilliant overtake on the entrance to the tunnel.
13:50: Lap 31 - Safety car now in and Rosberg again keeps the lead, having backed the pack up well.
13:45: Lap 29 - Raikkonen strangely pits again, relegating him back down the saftey car snake. A potential puncture looks like the reason for his return.
13:44: Lap 28 - Rosberg and Hamilton still lead from Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Alonso, Massa, Vergne, Magnussen, Hulkenberg, Button.
13:41: Lap 27 - Hectic moments in the pit-lane as everyone comes in to take advantage of the safety car period. Vergne and Magnussen almost collide when Frenchman was released into narrow lane. Should be a penalty for the Toro Rosso.
13:40: Lap 26 - Important pit stops could be made here as safety car returns to the track. Button made an opportunistic stop early on. Hamilton will have to queue up behind Rosberg in the pit-lane.
13:38: Lap 25 - Sutil is out of the race! Exiting the tunnel, the Sauber has gone straight into the barrier after the chicane after losing it on the straight. Safety car should be deployed.
13:37: Lap 24 - The Mercedes close in on backmarkers. Lapping Ericsson and Chilton could be hazardous.
13:35: Lap 23 - Hamilton closing the gap to Rosberg once again. Less than a second splits the Silver Arrows - pit stops could potentially decide the victor of this race.
13:32: Lap 20 - Button is on the tail of Hulkenberg, but is just out of the DRS detection zone.
13:30: Lap 19 - Chilton and Gutierrez are penalised with five-second stop/go penalties for lining up in the wrong grid boxes. Confusion was created when Pastor Maldonado had to start from the pit-lane. As a result, cars at the back moved forward up the grid.
13:29: Lap 18 - A loud squeek emanates from Rosberg's front left tyre as he locks up into Mirabeau. The leader is really pushing here.
13:27: Lap 17 - Sutil's Sauber makes a move on Chilton at the Harbour Chicane as they exit the tunnel. The German rises to 15th with a well-time overtake.
13:26: Lap 16 - The top 10 at this stage are as follows: Rosberg, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Alonso, Magnussen, Vergne, Hulkenberg, Button, Bottas
13:25: Lap 15 - Lewis Hamilton dropping away from Rosberg slightly, seemingly struggling for a bit of grip.This could make a one-stop strategy problematic.
13:21: Lap 12 - Daniil Kvyat is also retiring now and has returned to his garage.
13:19: Lap 11 - Kevin Magnussen - who has struggled since podiuming in Australia - currently finds himself in sixth. McLaren have a good record in the principality.
13:17: Lap 9 - Raikkonen is opening up a gap of his own back to Ricciardo. The Red Bull is currently fourth.
13:15: Lap 8 - Vettel returns to the pits and retires.
13:14: Lap 7 - The two Mercedes are pulling away from the rest of the field together. Yet again it seems as though they will be running their own race. The gap back to third-placed, Raikkonen, is nearly four seconds already.
13:11: Lap 5 - Vettel leaves the pit-lane more than lap down on the fronturnners, unable to get out of first gear. A retirement for the German could be likely here.
13:10: Lap 4 - Sebastian Vettel experiencing real trouble at the restart. Complaining of a loss of power, he has dropped right down the feld and out of the top 10. Kimi Raikkonen has progressed to third, passing Ricciardo en route.
13:08: Lap 3 - Perez was collided into just after Mirabeau. Safety car in this lap.
13:07: Lap 2 - The cars continue to be led round by the safety car - this is an important time for drivers to conserve fuel and tyres.
13:04: Lap 1 - Safety car is deployed for the fifth year in a row at this Grand Prix. Sergio Perez was clipped by former teammate, Jenson Button, on the first lap.
13:01: Lap 1 - The lights are out and they're off to start the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix. Rosberg maintains his lead through the first corner. That was the best chance that Hamilton would have to take the lead.
12:59: Here is a reminder of the circuit layout around the streets of Monte Carlo. For 365 days a year, these roads are used by the general public.
12:56: Back then, the pair had high-profile collisions at Suzuka two years running. Will we see a repeat involving Rosberg and Hamilton? The first corner will be very interesting.
12:55: A lot of comparisons have been drawn between this battle and the inter-team contestation between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost back in 1988-89.
12:53: It will be interesting to see how close the Mercedes pair come today. In Bahrain we witnessed some breathtaking sparring between the two, and Saturday's controversy could provoke even more bad blood between Rosberg and Hamilton.
12:52: Daniel Ricciardo again out-qualified reigning world champion, Sebastian Vettel, and will pose the biggest threat to the Silver Arrows.
12:51: Here is a complete classification of yesterday's qualifying in the Monaco sun:
Pos No Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps
1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:17.678 1:16.465 1:15.989 26
2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:17.823 1:16.354 1:16.048 27
3 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:17.900 1:17.233 1:16.384 22
4 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:18.383 1:17.074 1:16.547 25
5 14 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:17.853 1:17.200 1:16.686 27
6 7 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:17.902 1:17.398 1:17.389 27
7 25 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Renault 1:17.557 1:17.657 1:17.540 26
8 20 Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Mercedes 1:17.978 1:17.609 1:17.555 25
9 26 Daniil Kvyat STR-Renault 1:18.616 1:17.594 1:18.090 23
10 11 Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 1:18.108 1:17.755 1:18.327 26
11 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1:18.432 1:17.846 20
12 22 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:17.890 1:17.988 20
13 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1:18.407 1:18.082 20
14 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1:18.335 1:18.196 23
15 13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Renault 1:18.585 1:18.356 21
16 19 Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 1:18.209 No time 10
17 21 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1:18.741 11
18 99 Adrian Sutil Sauber-Ferrari 1:18.745 11
19 17 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Ferrari 1:19.332 10
20 4 Max Chilton Marussia-Ferrari 1:19.928 9
21 10 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham-Renault 1:20.133 9
22 9 Marcus Ericsson Caterham-Renault 1:21.732 9
12:46: An investigation was launched after the subsequent yellow flags hampered Hamilton's last charge at pole, but the German retained his superior grid slot.
12:45: Nico Rosberg just edged out his teammate in qualifying yesterday, despite running wide at Maribou on his final flying lap.
12:39: Welcome to live race text commentary of the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix. Nico Rosberg heads up a Mercedes front row around the twisty streets of Monte Carlo.The lights go out for round six of the season to begin at 1300 BST.
