Checo Pérez or Max Verstappen? Felipe Massa reviews 3:56

(CNN) -- Max Verstappen claimed victory at the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, his fourth win in six races this season and extended his lead at the top of the drivers' standings.

A relatively straightforward race morphed into the final stages when it started raining in Monaco, causing chaos across the field as drivers struggled to keep their cars from sliding over the wet track.

Verstappen avoided possible mishaps, while second-placed Fernando Alonso lost time when he had to pit twice after trying to avoid the use of intermediate tyres.

Alonso eventually remained in second place, while Esteban Ocon completed the podium in third place.

Max Verstappen won his fourth race of the season. Credit: Luca Bruno/AP

"It was quite difficult because we were in the middle and Fernando was in the hard. We didn't want to go that long, but we had to stay outside in the rain," Verstappen told Sky Sports.

advertising

"It was incredibly slippery and when you're so in the lead, you don't want to push too hard, but you also don't want to waste too much time, so it's quite difficult in that scenario. I hit the wall a couple of times and it was very difficult out there. But that's Monaco.

"It's really good to win it the way we did today with the weather and everything, to keep calm and bring it home."

Esteban Ocon scored Alpine's first podium of the season and third of his career. Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Verstappen asserted his dominance early on, fending off Alonso at the first corner and immediately opening a gap on the rest of the field on the narrow, winding street circuit.

Meanwhile, his teammate, Sergio "Checo" Perez, started the race at the back of the grid after a crash in qualifying and entered the pits almost immediately in hopes of being able to overtake those in front of him when they entered the pits later in the race, but eventually finished 16th and scored no points.

Conditions changed at the end of the race when it started raining. Credit: Olivier Chassignole/AFP/Getty Images

As his tyres began to degrade, Verstappen's lead over Alonso decreased somewhat, but remained at seven healthy seconds, as the race approached the halfway point. Both remained on the track, wary of strategically slipping and entering the pits at the wrong time.

The strategic calculations changed again when it started raining in the final third of the race and Alonso and Aston Martin entered the pits but did not switch to intermediate tyres, forcing them to pit again shortly afterwards as the rain kept falling.

That extra pit stop gave Verstappen a more comfortable lead, even when he hit the wall, while holding on for victory.

Fernando AlonsoMax VerstappenSergio "Checo" Pérez