Leclerc wins Monaco Grand Prix

A chaotic first-lap pile-up involving both Haas cars and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez led to a red flag and set the stage for Charles Leclerc to turn his pole position into a triumphant victory at his home Monaco Grand Prix, making him the first Monegasque to win the race in 93 years. Ferrari had a double feature on the podium as Carlos Sainz came third, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finishing in second place. 

The race’s dynamics were immediately altered when Kevin Magnussen’s collision with Sergio Perez spun the Red Bull around, also taking out Nico Hulkenberg. This incident led to a red flag, changing the strategies of all the teams, which proved helpful to some and quite detrimental to others. 

Leclerc expertly managed his tyres to maintain control over McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz, and McLaren’s Lando Norris throughout the race. None of these drivers made a pit stop, allowing Leclerc to secure Ferrari’s second win of the 2024 season.

In the final lap, we witnessed a tussle between Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with Russell winning to finish fifth. The fact that Russell was using old tyres did not deter him from putting up a good fight. Verstappen’s fresh tyres did not prove any beneficial to him as he was unable to gain the lead he struggled for, eventually settling for sixth place. Russell’s teammate Lewis Hamilton finished seventh. 

Starting with medium tires, the top four drivers faced a different strategy compared to Russell, Verstappen, and Hamilton, who began on hard tires. The first-lap collision drastically impacted the race’s strategy, requiring precise management from the front.

Leclerc’s victory was particularly sweet, given his previous misfortunes at Monaco, where he had twice taken pole position only to miss out on the win. This time, both Ferrari and Leclerc executed their strategy perfectly, leveraging his speed from pole to dominate the race, to produce the first home winner in Monaco.