NICO ROSBERG made a long-awaited return to the top of the Formula One podium yesterday with a lights-to-flag victory in Monaco.

His team-mate and rival Lewis Hamilton remained in touching distance for over 60 laps before suddenly announcing over the radio that he could not see out of his left eye, allowing Rosberg to clinch back-to-back wins around the streets of Monaco.

It means Hamilton’s run of four successive triumphs is over, ensuring Rosberg leapfrogs the Briton in the standings by four points as the toe-to-toe scrap between the duo continues.

Rosberg was found not guilty by the stewards of deliberately out-braking himself heading into Mirabeau in the final session.

That, in turn, forced him to head down the escape road, bringing out yellow flags that thwarted Hamilton behind who was, at the time, on a quicker lap, so denying him pole.

Hamilton suggested Rosberg’s actions were intentional but come the start he filed in behind the German into the first corner, and from that point on was forced to play the waiting game.

Halfway round the opening lap Force India’s Sergio Perez was tagged by former McLaren team-mate Jenson Button at the top of the hairpin, spinning his car into the barrier and resulting in the immediate introduction of the safety car.

But Perez was already the second retirement after Pastor Maldonado failed to make it off the grid due to a technical issue.

Once the safety car peeled away at the end of lap three, from fourth place reigning four-times champion Sebastian Vettel was passed by a number of cars, and it was apparent the German had his own problems, dropping out after seven laps.

Drivers dropped like flies — Daniel Kvyat ended his maiden Monaco race after 11 laps because of power problems with his Toro Rosso and Adrian Sutil bowed out on lap 25 after ploughing into the barrier, bringing a second safety car session.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen took on a puncture losing him his third-place race, while Jean-Eric Vergne, Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Gutierrez were all forced off.

With Rosberg and Hamilton barely acknowledging one another, it was a tense podium ceremony, with the latter refusing to answer questions relating to his team-mate.

Initially, Rosberg said: “It was a very special day, Lewis drove well, kept the pressure on, but in the end I was able to pull a gap as I had the fresher tyres.”