Monaco GP - Race

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Monaco GP

Race

May 26, 2024

Charles Leclerc secured his first win in the Monaco Grand Prix after fending off constant pressure from McLaren's Oscar Piastri throughout the race.

The victory marked a significant personal achievement for the Ferrari driver, who grew up in Monaco, finally breaking his string of disappointing results at the prestigious Monte Carlo circuit with a flawless performance.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz completed the podium in third place.

Leclerc had struggled to achieve a podium finish in his previous five attempts at the race, making this win particularly significant. It is also his first triumph since the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.

Reflecting on the race, Leclerc said, "No words can explain that ... it's such a difficult race. The fact starting twice on pole and couldn't make it makes it even better. It means a lot. It's the race that made me dream of becoming a Formula One driver.

He continued, "It was a difficult race emotionally, 15 laps from the end I was hoping nothing happens, already the emotions were coming. I was thinking to my dad ... obviously he had given everything for me to be here, it was a dream of ours to race here and win, it's unbelievable."

Leclerc’s win was significantly aided by his outstanding performance in Saturday's qualifying, which is crucial at Monaco due to the track's limited overtaking opportunities.

Although Leclerc's win was a crowd-pleaser, the race itself was yet another example of Monaco’s tendency to produce relatively uneventful races, with the top ten finishing in their starting positions.

The main excitement occurred on the opening lap when a collision involving Sergio Perez and Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg led to a red flag.

Leclerc executed a perfect restart to maintain his lead into Turn 1, a position he would not lose.

"F--- me, this is really boring! I should have brought my pillow," At one point, Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who finished sixth, expressed his frustration over the radio, saying the race was "really boring" and that he wished he had brought a pillow.

Leclerc’s win and Verstappen's result have reduced the latter's championship lead to 31 points.

Verstappen's finish was his worst since the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Lando Norris finished fourth, with Mercedes drivers George Russell (fifth) and Lewis Hamilton (seventh) finishing around Verstappen.

Yuki Tsunoda continued his strong performance with an eighth-place finish, while Alex Albon secured Williams' first points of the season in ninth.

Pierre Gasly managed to finish tenth despite a collision caused by Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon on the first lap.

The stewards chose not to investigate the Perez-Haas incident further, considering it a racing incident.

Magnussen, who was close to receiving a race ban due to penalty points, avoided this consequence as no further investigation was made. Alpine faces an internal issue with the collision between Gasly and Ocon shortly before the red flag.

Ocon admitted fault for the collision, apologizing to his team and posting on social media,

"Today's incident was my fault, the gap was too small in the end and I apologise to the team on this one. Hoping for a deserved points-finish for the team today."

The stewards agreed with Ocon’s assessment, and he will face a five-place grid penalty at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Sainz’s race was saved by the regulations. He suffered a puncture early in the race after a collision with Piastri but was able to restart from third place due to the red flag timing.

The rules require drivers to use two of the three different types of tires, and changes are allowed under red flag conditions. This allowed those who started on medium tires, including Leclerc, Piastri, Sainz, and Norris, to switch to the more durable hard tires and finish the race.

On the other hand, Verstappen and Mercedes drivers Hamilton and Russell, who began on hard tires, had to switch to mediums, which could have risked their positions if the tires wore out too soon.

Hamilton expressed frustration after his pit stop, saying, "I told you guys, I told you guys," indicating his preference for starting on medium tires to prepare for a potential red flag.

The pace set by the leading four drivers created a significant gap, with Russell, now on medium tires, struggling to manage his pace while trying to avoid another pit stop.

A large gap formed between Norris in fourth and Russell in fifth, with Verstappen unable to

advance beyond sixth.

Both Verstappen and Hamilton managed to stop for new tires, while Tsunoda fell further back as he aimed to finish the race without another stop.

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Monaco GP 2024 F1 Race Results

1. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (2:23:15.554)

2. Oscar Piastri, McLaren (+7.152)

3. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +7.585)

4. Lando Norris, McLaren (+8.6506)

5. George Russell, Mercedes (+13.309)

6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull (+13.853)

7. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (+14.908)

8. Yuki Tsunoda, RB (+1 Lap)

9. Alexander Albon, Williams (+1 Lap)

10. Pierre Gasly, Alpine (+1 Lap)

11. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin (+2 Lap)

12. Daniel Ricciardo, RB (+2 Lap)

13. Valtteri Bottas, Sauber (+2 Lap)

14. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin (+2 Lap)

15. Logan Sargeant, Williams (+2 Lap)

16. Zhou Guanyu, Sauber (+2 Lap)

Ret. Esteban Ocon, Alpine (+78 Laps)

Ret. Sergio Pérez, Red Bull (+78 Laps)

Ret. Nico Hülkenberg, Haas (+78 Laps)

Ret. Kevin Magnussen, Haas (+78 Laps)