It was a thrilling edition of a race steeped in history, worthy of joining those that came before it in the stratosphere of motorsport’s memorable moments. Strategic gamesmanship preceded a final showdown between two of the championship’s brightest talents, and the conclusion did not disappoint: a fearless overtake around the outside on the final lap proved to be the clincher.
But enough about the Indianapolis 500. Instead, our gaze is firmly affixed on the more sedate affair that took place in Monaco, as Formula 1’s annual visit to the Cote d’Azur induced a sense of restlessness over its 78-lap duration. That’s not to say that it didn’t ultimately yield a feel-good factor as Charles Leclerc claimed a long-awaited victory at his home event, but a stifled spectacle left the battles to be drawn on the timesheets rather than the streets.
PLUS: Monaco Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2024
It’s not as though the nature of Monaco offered any new insights into how difficult it is to race around the principality’s tight roads – Nelson Piquet had claimed the “riding a bicycle around your living room” simile some decades prior. Just as dull films still (generally speaking) have their plot-lines, an ennui-laden race is not without a paddock full of stories. And if you fancy 10 of those stories – hoo boy, you’re in the right place.
1. The Leclerc Monaco curse isn’t real – and he never believed in it
Leclerc celebrates his maiden Monaco GP win on the podium
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Superstition is a funny quirk of the human condition. Religious or not, people tend to be united in their efforts to knock on wood or avoid walking under ladders to ward off a nebulous spectre of malevolence. At least the suggestion of a Leclerc curse at Monaco appeared to be rooted in something tangible. At his home event, Leclerc retired from pole in his 2017 F2 championship year before stepping up to F1.
Once he’d made it into the big time, he endured the following: a crash into Brendon Hartley in 2018 with a brake failure, a Q1 elimination in 2019 prior to a clash with Nico Hulkenberg in the race, a crash in 2021’s qualifying session after setting a lap good enough for pole, causing driveshaft damage resulting in a did-not-start, 2022’s pit delay that cost him a shot at victory from pole (after binning Niki Lauda’s 1974 Ferrari at the Rascasse in the Monaco Historic Grand Prix), and a drop to sixth in 2023 having factored in the podium…
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