On the 10-year anniversary weekend of Jules Bianchi scoring his only points at the Monaco Grand Prix, his godson Charles Leclerc was able to win it outright.
Leclerc led lights-to-flag on the streets he grew up on. The race was one long chess game between Ferrari and McLaren, with Oscar Piastri hounding Leclerc all day for the lead but failing to do so.
Leclerc is the first Monegasque driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix since Louis Chiron in 1931. Leclerc’s win also takes him to second in points, just 31 points behind Max Verstappen.
Leclerc had a best finish of fourth in Monaco in five races prior to this year in spite of two poles, so this has been a long time coming. After winning, Leclerc mentioned his late father as on his mind during the race.
“No words can explain [how I feel],” Leclerc said in the podium interview. “It’s such a difficult race, I think that twice I have started on pole position but didn’t quite make it, makes it even better. It means a lot. It’s the race that made me dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver one day.
“It was a difficult race emotionally because, 15 laps to the end you’re just hoping nothing happens. Already the emotions were coming. I have to say, I was thinking about my dad a lot more as I was driving. He has given everything for me to win here, and it was a dream of ours for me to race here, to win here.”
On lap one, into turn 1, Piastri and Carlos Sainz made contact. Both drivers were able to continue in the race, but Sainz stalled out in turn 4 after the car wouldn’t turn due to a flat tire.
Then, on lap one, out of turn 1, Kevin Magnussen hooked Sergio Perez going uphill and caused both to crash, with Nico Hulkenberg also collected in the crash.
None of the three drivers were able to continue, and the damage sustained on the Red Bull with all the debris along with damage to the barrier caused a lengthy red flag.
Right before the red flag, one other incident happened out of turn 8. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly made contact, with Ocon briefly being launched up into the air before coming back down on all four wheels. Both Alpines were able to make it back to the pits for the red flag, but Ocon would not finish the race.
The FIA determined that the running order of the cars through the second mini timing sector would be used for the restart, as that was the only sector in which all cars went through it.
That allowed Sainz to restart in…
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