2024 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix Highlights

Charles Leclerc has finally shaken off his Monaco taboo, winning his home race at his sixth attempt. It was an extremely tactical race, which the team executed perfectly, with Charles leading from start to finish. Completing a memorable day, as Scuderia Ferrari HP took its tenth win on the streets of the Principality, was third place for Carlos Sainz, which now puts the team 24 points behind Red Bull, the leaders in the Constructors’ classification. Charles has also closed the gap to Drivers’ leader Max Verstappen to 31 points. He is the 37th driver to win on the streets of Monaco. He is also the first Monegasque to do so since the start of the Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship in 1950, although Louis Chiron, also a Monegasque, won here 93 years ago, well before the creation of the World Championship. Leclerc is also the seventh Ferrari driver to win here.

First start. Today’s race was even more tactical than usual because of the red flag on the opening lap. Charles and Carlos lined up on Medium tyres and the Spaniard got away well enough to come alongside Oscar Piastri at the first corner. However, they touched, and Sainz ended up with a puncture that dropped him down the order. At the same time, there was a huge crash in the midfield, fortunately without injury, involving the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen and Sergio Perez in the Red Bull. With the track blocked, the race was red flagged and because that happened before the end of the opening lap, it meant that Sainz was able to restart from his original grid position. It also meant that there would be no need for the obligatory pit stop if drivers took the second start on a different compound from the first one. Thus the team put both drivers on the Hard tyre with the aim of then going all the way to the chequered flag.

Second start. There were no surprises at the restart, with Charles leading from Piastri, Carlos and Lando Norris in the other McLaren. From then on, it was a race without the need for pit stops, with Charles and Carlos looking after their tyres and preventing Norris, at the back of this group running Hard tyres, from building up enough of a lead over the fifth-placed driver that he would be able to make a pit stop without losing track position. Charles and Carlos were, therefore, constantly given target times to hit, and the race became a long countdown without any surprises all the way to the flag, with Leclerc the winner and Sainz third. After the race, the team rushed to hug the drivers near the podium to the accompaniment of the klaxons from the yachts in the harbour. The party is likely to go on all night in Monaco!

Carlos Sainz #55

It was a very tactical race. I had a perfect first start off the line, to the point that I was side by side with Oscar (Piastri) into turn one, and I went for the inside gap. We touched, I got a puncture, and I thought that was it. Fortunately for me, the big accident behind meant I could restart from P3, and thankfully, everyone was OK. We had new Hard tyres for the restart, and it was just a matter of managing the pace until the end and ensuring Lando didn’t have a window to pit. Once this was achieved, I tried to overtake Oscar during the last laps, but it simply needs to be easier if you use the same strategy as the car ahead. I’m very happy for Charles! Winning your home race is something every driver dreams of, and it was good to celebrate with him on the podium!

Charles Leclerc #16

I can’t explain how I feel. The race seemed to continue forever, but maybe that made it even nicer. Winning here means so much to me because it’s the race that made me dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver when I was little. So, I want to thank the people of Monaco; on the lap of honour, I saw so many people on the balconies, and I thank all of them for their incredible support. Over the last few laps, it was difficult because you start to pray nothing’s going to happen, and I could feel the emotion growing in me, and I realised I was almost losing concentration on my driving. I was thinking a lot about my father and everything he did to ensure that I was here today, and I was also thinking of Jules. Winning this race was a dream we all had, and I dedicate the win to them. We had to do a lot of tyre management and manage the gap to George (Russell) to make sure the McLarens couldn’t get a free pit stop, so mentally, it was pretty draining. I must thank the team for doing an exceptional job over the past few months and helping me win this race. I can’t wait to celebrate with them and the rest of the team as soon as I get to Maranello.

Frédéric Vasseur – Team Principal

It was the perfect weekend and one to remember for Charles, having had a couple of tough races here in Monaco. He was flying from lap 1 in FP1 and did the perfect job. The race itself was strange because, after the red flag, we had to manage 77 laps on the same set of tyres. He was always in control of the situation, and a couple of times, he asked us if he could push more, but we couldn’t give him the green light. Carlos also drove an excellent race and played an essential part in this win, helping us control the gaps behind them and doing a fantastic job for the team. We are all pushing very hard; the whole team has a perfect dynamic, with everyone working in the right direction. We mustn’t get carried away; we must stay focused, but this win is a huge motivation for everyone at the track and factory, where everyone has done a great job. This was an exceptional day; you could see the emotions of all the team members around the podium. Now, we must think about doing a good job again, even better in Canada.

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