Charles Leclerc achieved a significant milestone by winning the Monaco Grand Prix, making him the first Monegasque driver in the history of the Formula 1 championship to secure victory in his home race. The Ferrari driver delivered a composed performance on the streets of Monaco, finishing ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and his fellow Ferrari teammate, Carlos Sainz. The race was notably impacted by a substantial crash on the opening lap that resulted in the elimination of Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez and Haas drivers Nico Hülkenberg. Meanwhile, championship leader Max Verstappen concluded the race in sixth place.
“No words can explain that,” Leclerc said after the race. “It’s such a difficult race, I think the fact that twice I’ve been starting on pole and I couldn’t make it makes it a lot better.
At the start of the race, when the lights went out, pole-sitter Charles Leclerc made a strong start, leading the field into Sainte-Devote. Behind him, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri faced pressure from Carlos Sainz, and as they approached Turn 1, Piastri made contact with Sainz’s left-front tire. As a result of sustaining a puncture, Sainz had no choice but to take the escape road while entering Casino Square.
“It was a difficult race emotionally, because already 15 laps from the end you’re hoping nothing happens,” Leclerc added. “I was thinking a lot more to my dad than a lot more when I was driving. At first, we had quite a lot of margin but there was 78 laps to do. There was a big portion of the race where I had to manage the gap with George, but then I could push a lot more.”
At the start of the race, when the lights went out, pole-sitter Charles Leclerc made a strong start, leading the field into Sainte-Devote. Behind him, Oscar Piastri of McLaren came under pressure from Carlos Sainz. As they approached Turn 1, Piastri made contact with Sainz’s left front tire, resulting in Sainz sustaining a puncture. He was compelled to take the escape road as they entered Casino Square.
Meanwhile, further down the grid, significant incidents were unfolding. Starting from 16th position, Sergio Pérez experienced a slow start and was overtaken by both Haas drivers, who had improved their positions after being relegated to the back row due to disqualifications from qualifying stemming from rear wing violations.
“Charles has been mega all weekend. And, you know, they’ve been quick from the very first lap,” Piastri said. “And I think it would have taken something pretty special in quali to outdo him. The opportunity was almost there, but it would have taken probably the best lap of my life. So I’m happy with P2. A good result for the team again and yeah, very, very happy.”
As they ascended the hill, Pérez attempted to defend his position by driving towards the center of the track. Nico Hülkenberg, positioned to his left, chose not to challenge, while Kevin Magnussen on the right attempted to overtake. Magnussen inadvertently clipped Pérez’s right rear wheel, causing Pérez to collide violently with the barriers and subsequently with both Haas cars.
Fortunately, due to the robust design of the survival cell and the use of wheel tethers, Pérez was able to exit the damaged vehicle swiftly. However, with debris scattered across a significant section of the track and an additional incident occurring at Portier involving a collision between Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon from Alpine, the race was promptly red flagged. Ocon later received a 10-second time penalty for his involvement in the collision, which will be translated into a five-place grid drop for the next race in Montreal.
Following a delay of nearly 45 minutes, the race resumed with a standing start, maintaining the original order. Sainz was fortunate to have another chance to compete. The red flags allowed teams to switch tires, with the leading four drivers opting for Hard tires for a long-run strategy, while George Russell and Max Verstappen, who started on Hard tires, switched to Mediums for the restart.
As the lights went out again, all drivers got away cleanly, with Leclerc retaining the lead ahead of the front runners. The Monegasque driver quickly established a comfortable rhythm ahead of Piastri, Sainz, and Lando Norris. Meanwhile, Russell was focused on managing his Medium tires, falling six seconds behind Norris, who was in fourth place.
“It’s just impossible to get past through the streets of Monaco. But I’m extremely happy to see Charles win his home Grand Prix,” Sainz said. “The way he’s been driving all weekend and managed to share this podium with him in P3. It’s a great feeling for the whole team. I think they all deserve it. And yeah, it looks like we’re getting stronger and stronger every weekend.”
This slower pace from Russell created a potential opportunity for McLaren to pit and gain positions, prompting Leclerc to manage his pace to keep the field close to Russell. The race evolved into a strategic contest as the Ferraris maintained a pace designed to accommodate both McLarens while Russell worked to preserve his tires and fend off Verstappen.
At the end of lap 51, Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes, having established a significant gap to Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, pitted from seventh place and returned to the track in the same position. This allowed Red Bull to pit Verstappen, who completed a swift 2.1-second stop for Hard tires. Verstappen returned to the track in sixth place ahead of Hamilton and began to post the fastest laps, rapidly closing the gap to Russell. This pressured Russell into responding to Verstappen’s pace, thereby narrowing the opportunity for McLaren to pit and challenge the Ferraris toward the race’s conclusion.
Leclerc effectively transitioned to management mode and, after 78 laps, crossed the finish line to become the first Monegasque driver in the championship era to win his home grand prix, finishing seven seconds ahead of Piastri, with Sainz securing the final podium spot just behind him. Norris took fourth place, followed by Russell, Verstappen, and Hamilton, while Tsunoda achieved a commendable eighth position. Additionally, Alex Albon earned Williams’ first points of the season with a ninth-place finish, and Gasly recovered from his early incident to secure the final point by finishing tenth.
2024 FIA Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix – Race
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 78 2:23’15.554
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 78 2:23’22.706 7.152
3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 78 2:23’23.139 7.585
4 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 78 2:23’24.204 8.650
5 George Russell Mercedes 78 2:23’28.863 13.309
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 78 2:23’29.407 13.853
7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 78 2:23’30.462 14.908
8 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 77 2:23’55.041 1 lap /39.487
9 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 77 2:24’09.606 1 lap /54.052
10 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 77 2:24’15.795 1 lap /1’00.241
11 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 76 2:23’19.408 2 laps /3.854
12 Daniel Ricciardo RB/Honda RBPT 76 2:23’19.818 2 laps /4.264
13 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 76 2:23’20.042 2 laps /4.488
14 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 76 2:23’21.521 2 laps /5.967
15 Logan Sargeant Williams/Mercedes 76 2:23’24.580 2 laps /9.026
16 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 76 2:24’10.814 2 laps /55.260
Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 0 – Collision amage
Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 0 – Collision
Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 0 – Collision
Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 0 – Collision
Photo/CharlesLeclerc/X
