Rosberg holds Monaco GP lead after red flag

MONACO (AFP) –

William’s Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado drives during the qualifying session at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo on May 25, 2013. The Monaco Grand Prix had to be stopped after 46 laps Sunday following a huge crash involving Williams driver Maldonado and Max Chilton of Marussia.

Pole-sitter Nico Rosberg of Mercedes maintained his lead of the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday after a red flag stopped the race on 46 laps following a huge crash.

Williams’s Pastor Maldonado and Max Chilton of Marussia came together at Turn 16, sending the Colombian crashing into the safety barrier, which was left jutting out onto the track after the impact.

Jules Bianchi was caught up in that collision and damaged the nose of his Marussia after clipping an out of control Maldonado as Chilton drove away safely.

With debris strewn across the track the race was brought to a temporary halt.

That followed an earlier safety car period after another dramatic crash involving Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.

The Brazilian crashed into the wall at Turn One, in the exact same place he’d come off in third practice.

He was seen being attended to by medical staff by the side of the track and his neck was put in a brace.

He had complained about a stiff neck on Sunday morning before the race began, presumably a result of his previous crash.

The safety car was deployed for the first time this season, prompting a scramble into the pits from some of the front runners.

Red Bull pair Sebastian Vettel, the reigning world champion, and Mark Webber, the winner in Monaco last year, had already pitted and benefitted from that by both jumping Lewis Hamilton.

The Mercedes driver dropped from second to fourth while Lotus’s Kimi Raikonen and Fernando Alonso of Ferrari followed in fifth and sixth.

Hamilton almost sneaked down the inside of Webber at Racasse after the safety car pulled in on lap 39 but the Australian held him off.

McLaren’s Sergio Perez managed to make a move stick on team-mate Jenson Button, though, having early lost seventh place to the Briton before the safety car.

The start had been relatively incident free with the top seven all holding position while Button passed Force India’s Adrian Sutil following slight contact between the pair.

It was only towards the back of the grid where there was contact between Caterham’s Giedo van der Garde and Pastor Maldonado of Williams, necessitating a trip back to the pits for both.