Max Verstappen's cool head drives him to a one-sided victory in Monaco

Max Verstappen survived a rain shower and the looming threat of Fernando Alonso to secure an impressive Formula 1 victory at a one-sided Monaco Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who beat Alonso to pole position by just 0.084 seconds, kept his cool in the slippery conditions to lead Sunday's 78-lap race, which lasted nearly two hours from start to finish, as he secured his fourth win of the season.

Alonso finished 27.9 seconds behind the Red Bull driver, with Esteban Ocon third for Alpine, as the Frenchman claimed only the third podium of his career.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell took advantage of the rain to cross the line in fourth and fifth, respectively, for Mercedes.

A terrible race

Sergio Perez started last after he crashed out of qualifying and finished 16th following a terrible race for the Mexican driver, which included five pit stops.

With Perez failing to score, Verstappen extended his lead in the standings from 14 to 39 points after six rounds of 22.

A dreary race suddenly burst into life on lap 51 as it started spitting at Casino Square, through Mirabeau and on the entry into the tunnel.

READ: Max Verstappen wins rain-soaked, action-packed Monaco Grand Prix

Verstappen held a 10-second lead over Alonso, but, despite the rain, Aston Martin hauled the Spaniard in for his first stop of the day and elected to send him out on the dry rubber.

However, the spots of rain became heavier, and Verstappen - now on 52-lap old slick tyres - had to tippy-toe his way back to the pits.

"I have to drive super-slow because my tyres are f*****," said Verstappen.

The Dutchman briefly lost control of his Red Bull on the entry to the tunnel, grazing the wall before safely making it back to the pits to bolt on the intermediate tyres.

Breathing