A banging first lap – a 160mph smash, cars mangled, drivers amazingly safe, a 40-minute delay – and then utter tedium.
That was the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix in which Charles Leclerc overcame his hoodoo to win on home Tarmac.
For Max Verstappen, the world champion stranded in sixth, the monotony was too much. ‘F*** me!’ he exclaimed. This is really boring. I should have brought my pillow.’
Fair point: the top 10 started and finished in the same order, which has never happened before in Formula One history. So, another rotten race afternoon for the image of the Monaco showpiece, on a track too small for the juggernaut cars of today. You’ve seen more overtaking on the school run.
But for Leclerc, joy on becoming only the second Monegasque to win here. The only other was Louis Chiron in 1931. His feat, in a Bugatti, earned him a bust by the swimming pool, just as Leclerc may one day be immortalised.
Charles Leclerc finally won the Monaco Grand Prix for Ferrari in front of his home crowd
Leclerc finished first, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri (left) second and Carlos Sainz (right) third
Leclerc failed to win at Monaco the previous two times he got pole position at the circuit, but it was third time the charm for the Ferrari star in his first win since the 2022 season
The Monegasque driver enjoyed a comfortable outing as he started on pole and crossed the chequered line first – comfortably managing the pace out front for the entirety of the race
Leclerc leapt into the crowd where his team staff were waiting to celebrate with him
Leclerc showed off the flag of Monaco as he celebrated a memorable victory on Sunday
Before that, he had an appointment up at the Grimaldi Palace for the post-race dinner with Prince Albert and his royal family last night – a tradition in Monaco, like the processional fare.
What a day for Leclerc, 26, a nice lad whose supportive father Herve died in 2017, aged 54. Herve managed a factory making car parts. Charles’s mother Pascale is a hairdresser. They are the kind of Monaco folk who service the rich.
Twice previously Leclerc had taken pole here, but without so much as a podium to show for them. This time, he was serenely in charge. In truth, all he had to do was keep his Ferrari out of the barriers. Nobody could pass him if he managed that, not on this sinewy, throttling finger of asphalt. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri harried him all the way to clinch second place, with Carlos Sainz third in the other scarlet car.
The die had been cast by the opening-lap drama, which caused a red flag to be waved. All competitors could be re-shod under the rules, and it was then a matter of nursing their rubber home, however snail-like. At one point, Leclerc was told to ‘slow don’. What an indictment!
Verstappen reckoned they were all trundling around ‘four seconds’ slower than they could have done.
Pirelli, the tyre suppliers, are hardly blameless. Yes, they made the three softest of their compounds available for Monaco’s unique contours, but their rubber was still too durable, and the leaders, among others, circumnavigated the 2.1-mile track 77 of the 78 times without needing to stop again. Some of them on medium tyres, let alone hards. Absurd.
Why not make the tyres softer? Why not mandate stops? Both are tactics that might be employed specifically for Monaco, given that the cars won’t be smaller anytime soon. Something needs to be done to preserve the venue’ racing pedigree, and radical solutions should be investigated ahead of renegotiations for a new contract to replace the old one, which expires next year.
All the theatrics came early, with Sergio Perez walking away unscathed from smash that made hearts jump.
Albert II, Prince of Monaco (right) was delighted as home driver Leclerc won the race
Sergio Perez’s car was destroyed after a first-lap crash involving both Haas drivers
Debris was sent across the circuit following the crash which started due to a collision involving Perez and Kevin Magnussen
A red flag was waved following the crash on a dramatic start to the Grand Prix
The Mexican, starting 16th, was tagged by the Haas of Kevin Magnussen heading uphill after the first corner, Sainte Devote. The Dane’s front left caught Perez’s rear right, sending the latter into the barriers.
Perez then ricocheted into the other Haas of the blameless Nico Hulkenberg. It was pinball stuff. Debris everywhere.
Perez’s Red Bull was all but destroyed. Only his rear right tyres remained in place. The monocoque, in a tribute to safety advances, protected the driver from harm. The trio involved climbed out without injuries.
Magnussen had been gung-ho, pressing his claims on the inside before running out of room. ‘I just got pushed into the wall and made contact with him,’ he said. ‘I trusted he was going to leave space for me since I was there.’
The stewards excused Magnussen and Perez, and rightly so given the incident was on the first lap, where they are committed to showing leniency. Relief for Magnussen, for two more points on his super licence would have landed him a race ban.
Max Verstappen endured a miserable afternoon as he finished sixth and was stuck behind George Russell
In a further twist, the two Alpines tangled. Esteban Ocon, pushing his claims through on entry to the tunnel and leaving Pierre Gasly no room, went airborne on impact.
The stewards handed Ocon a 10-second penalty, but he was retired and changed into his jeans by the time justice was meted out. His punishment will be converted into a five-place grid drop for the next instalment, in Canada.
At the end, Verstappen, his Red Bull proving unusually troublesome, held a 31-point lead over Leclerc with 16 rounds left. Of the Brits, Lando Norris was fourth, George Russel fifth and Lewis Hamilton seventh.
On to the podium and Leclerc’s delight. He even attracted a hug from Prince Albert, clearly emotional himself, just as Leclerc admitted he had a tear in his eye during the last few laps. Herve came into his mind
‘No words can explain that,’ said Leclerc of his win. ‘It’s the race that made dream of becoming a Formula One driver one day. My dad gave everything for me.’
Albert himself sprayed the celebratory sparkling wine – Ferrari Trentino, rather than champagne these days. Not since his great grandfather, Louis II, had a ruler of the principality known a winner of his own.
It was a shame that on its triumphant day, Monaco had much to ponder.
