An audibly ecstatic Leclerc crossed the line 7.1s clear of Piastri to claim his first-ever victory at the Monaco street circuit, after overcoming the Australian at two standing starts after an early red flag, and then set the pace sufficiently to deny McLaren a tactical advantage.
Despite periods of pressure from Piastri over the 76 laps of uninterrupted running following the early hiatus, Leclerc absorbed it all and did enough to anticipate a potential McLaren upset by backing up the pack to quell a potential pitstop window.
In the final stages, Leclerc dropped Piastri to build up a gap that surpassed eight seconds, before electing to back off and “bring it home” to dispel his dreaded ‘Monaco curse’.
“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.
“It was a difficult race emotionally, because already 15 laps from the end you’re hoping nothing happens. 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.”
A first-lap shunt produced the early red flag, as Kevin Magnussen attempted to squeeze his Haas down the inside of Sergio Perez at Beau Rivage. The two made contact; Perez’s car sustained heavy damage as he was tipped into the opposite wall, and also wiped out Nico Hulkenberg in the process.
Marshals remove the damaged car of Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20, from the circuit after a crash on the opening lap
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Heavy damage to the barriers created a 40-minute delay in the race’s resumption, but that proved not to be the only skirmish on the opening lap: Carlos Sainz also sustained a front-left puncture into Turn 1 while attempting to pass Oscar Piastri for second, which sent him to the back of the field as he initially pulled over at Casino Square. The Spaniard was handed a reprieve when he was reinstated to his third-place grid slot at the restart.
This changed the dynamic of the race considerably as the field swapped tyres to satisfy the rule necessitating both compounds to be run, theoretically ensuring that everyone could run to the end without stopping.
As such, a tactical game emerged between the Ferraris and McLarens as they…
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