In the final minutes, Charles Leclerc may have slowly allowed himself to think about this, which he had previously pushed aside lap after lap of high concentration. But in the meantime, the minimal lead over Oscar Piastri in the McLaren had grown into a comfortable lead of more than seven seconds. There was no danger from behind. Leclerc just couldn’t afford to make any mistakes now – and please, please don’t let his Ferrari do any tricks. Not now, so close to the finish. And then he had actually done it.
“Yeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” shouted Leclerc, his voice filled with emotion. From the sound of it, tears of joy were running down his cheeks behind his visor. “Tonight is going to be a big night, you better stay here,” he gave the first party instructions over the radio before jumping from the car to his mechanics, perhaps more euphoric than ever: “No words can describe how I feel. I thought more about my father than about my driving. It’s unbelievable.” His father died in 2017.
:Soon without the Glamour Grand Prix?
The track in Monaco is one of the most prestigious in Formula 1. But because overtaking is so difficult in the city’s narrow streets, the future of the traditional race is at stake.
After so many attempts, the 26-year-old had achieved what had long seemed impossible: the Grand Prix of Monaco, his home race. This puts him second in the overall standings with 138 points behind Max Verstappen (169 points), with Lando Norris following in third place (113). For the third time, Leclerc had started from the front position on the roads he has known since childhood. But after sobering experiences, he curbed any euphoria. In 2021, his Ferrari broke down on the way to the start, and in 2022 Leclerc ended up in fourth place after a strategy error. Now he finally took his victory ahead of Piastri and his teammate Carlos Sainz in the race, which began truly spectacularly.
After the early accident, the stretch of road is a picture of chaos
Just 56 seconds had passed since the start when the red flag was waved to signal the end of the race. Leclerc had got off to a good start from pole position and was beginning to hope that he would finally be able to shake off the curse that seemed to be on him in Monaco. While Leclerc was busy keeping Piastri at bay in the McLaren, third-placed Sainz went off the track due to a puncture after contact in the first corner and found himself in Rue Sainte-Devote: yellow flag, but only briefly.
In the battle for positions, Sergio Pérez was caught in the back of the field. He drove in the middle, which Kevin Magnussen interpreted as an invitation to overtake. The Dane wanted to pass on the right in his Haas, but hit the rear right wheel of the Red Bull and not only pushed the car, he initiated a spin. Pérez thundered first to the right against the barrier, then to the left, then to the right again, spinning around his own axis like a wild top. This in turn also pushed Nico Hülkenberg, who wanted to pass on the left in the second Haas, off the track.
The section of the track was a picture of chaos. The asphalt was littered with car parts. Pérez’s Red Bull was completely ruined and had shrunk to a miniature. The monocoque and rear were still recognizable on the wreck, only the right rear wheel had not come loose from its original position. The Haas were facing each other a few meters apart, Hülkenberg’s VF-24 was removed with a crane, as was the Red Bull later. “Damn, that was unnecessary,” said Hülkenberg over the radio, and later in the paddock: “That right after 500 meters is frustrating and a shame.”
World champion Verstappen experiences the race from an unusual perspective
After the rescue work and repairs to the crash barriers had been completed, the race continued with a standing start at 3:44 p.m. – without Pérez, Hülkenberg, Magnussen and Esteban Ocon. The Frenchman’s Alpine had been lifted up by his team-mate Pierre Gasly, with the rear end sticking up several meters into the air. Ocon was soon seen without his overalls; the damage was too great. The others used the break to change tires before rolling out of the pit lane back to the start. The order at the front was: Leclerc, Piastri, Sainz, Lando Norris, George Russell, Max Verstappen. Attempt number two, without incident.
Leclerc had Piastri as a close pursuer behind him, Sainz also kept up, Norris followed at a little further back. Behind them, a gap widened ever further until Russell and Verstappen could be seen. An unusual perspective for the actually dominant world champion. He has won five of the seven Grand Prix so far. “The car is like a go-kart here,” he reported after qualifying. “It jumps around, doesn’t absorb any kerbs, no bumps.” The lead over the competition was so big for a long time that the problem could be concealed. Now Ferrari and McLaren in particular have caught up, and according to Verstappen, the special features of the street circuit have also played a role: “This track is the worst-case scenario for our car.”
At times Piastri came within 0.2 seconds of Leclerc – but never overtook him. The Ferraris and the McLarens, which were specially painted in memory of Monaco specialist Ayrton Senna, who died 30 years ago, drove a race within the race. After half the total distance, the gap between Mercedes driver Russell and the yellow and red quartet was more than 20 seconds. And there was only limited danger from behind, with Verstappen circling almost two seconds behind and saying: “This is boring. I should have brought my pillow.” Later he came close – but couldn’t overtake him. Lance Stroll lost another wheel on lap 50, without any consequences. He came to the pits, had a new tire put on and continued driving.