Monaco 2024: Grand Prix
Formula 1
(Charles Leads the Pack - Source: Formula 1)
Every Grand Prix has its charm and surprises; Monaco is fast-paced, with narrow streets and few places to overtake. The track’s traits almost encourage a red flag to be called, and this Grand Prix was no different. Into lap 1, Charles Leclerc maintained his pole position, closely followed by Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz. Coming into a turn, Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri briefly made contact. It was light, but enough to puncture Carlos Sainz’s front left wheel of the Ferrari. Carlos Sainz ended up in a run-off area and could only watch as the rest of his fellow peers left him behind. Worse yet, a horrific appearing accident was unfolding behind the rest of the pack.
Sergio Perez had to make some defensive moves after Kevin Magnussen tried to put his nose to the inside of Perez. Kevin accidentally squeezed his nose too tight into the corner, leaving Perez nowhere to go other than into Magnussen. Perez and Kevin collided, sending Perez going sideways into the barrier, destroying the entire left side of his vehicle. Nico Hulkenberg, who was following closely behind, sandwiched Perez into the barrier. Three highly skilled drivers were out of the race in one fell swoop. No penalties were given to either Perez or Magnussen, as both of them could have made different moves to prevent the crash from happening; it was deemed just an accident. Sainz, Perez, Magnussen, and Hulkenberg were not the only ones who had an accident on the first lap. Estaban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were also involved in an incident. Estaban Ocon goes into the racing line where Pierre Gasly is, leaving no room for Gasly to move out of his way. Pierre’s only option was to tank the hit from his teammate. Gasly’s nose of his vehicle acts as a springboard and launches Esteban Ocon into the air. Fortunately, Ocon’s vehicle landed back onto its wheels; however, Ocon’s vehicle was too damaged to continue racing. Ocon would later be found liable for the incident and given a 10-second penalty and a five-place grid penalty to be served at the next race in Canada. A red flag was given for all the incidents on track, and the race was stalled for 30 minutes. Race Control dictated a standing start for the race to continue.
(Combined video showing Carlos’ and Perez’ accidents - Source: Formula 1 via X.com)
(Sergio Perez Remnants of Car - Source: Formula 1 via X.com)
(Collision between Gasly and Ocon. Ocon in the air, Gasly on bottom. Source - Formula 1 via X.com)
Restart
The lights went out, and Leclerc made a beautiful launch and gained a small but much-needed distance from Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz. After everyone left the line, almost everyone stayed in their starting positions, fearing that they, too, could have a race-ending accident. The only thing to note for most of the race is that Mercedes instructed George not to chase after Norris even though Norris was close. This culminated in Norris's 20-second lead from Russell, who was in P5. This lead would allow Norris to have a “free pit-stop” where he could box and rejoin the pack without losing any positions. On the other side of the coin, Lewis Hamilton built a 45-second lead from Yuki Tsunoda, who was in P8. Lewis Hamilton took the opportunity for the free pit stop and retained his P7 spot while keeping a 20-second lead ahead of Yuki. Max Verstappen, being the only Red Bull in the race, played it fairly safely with no overtake attempts. This left the Ferrari and McLaren drivers to duke it out with each other.
Charles Leclerc had an idyllic race with only Piastri pressuring him from behind. However, this was not a worry for Leclerc as he was very fast and very confident around each twist and turn of the Monte Cristo Circuit. Because Charles hardly had to worry about the race, he had plenty of time to think about his hometown and his late father. The driver reported that the emotions almost became too much when he realized there were only 2 laps between him and making history. Charles Leclerc was the race leader, then became the race winner in a bittersweet moment. The race was so hard fought and deserved after he had multiple heartbreaks around the same track. It was a bitter moment for Charles after finally becoming the King of the Monaco streets, but his dear father, Hervé Leclerc, and friend, Jules Bianchi, were not there to cheer him across the finish line. Nonetheless, the Monegasque will be delighted with his first win in Monaco and is only the second-ever Monegasque to win the Monaco Grand Prix. The first Monegasque win came 93 years before Charles’.
Race Results:
(Charles Leclerc Wins - Source: Charles Leclerc via Instagram)
Charles Leclerc
Oscar Piastri
Carlos Sainz
Lando Norris
George Russell
Max Verstappen
Lewis Hamilton
Yuki Tsunoda
Alexander Albon
Pierre Gasly
Fernando Alonso
Daniel Ricciardo
Valtteri Bottas
Lance Stroll
Logan Sargeant
Zhou Guanyu
Estaban Ocon (DNF)
Sergio Perez (DNF)
Nico Hulkenberg (DNF)
Kevin Magnussen (DNF)
Sources:
Combined video showing Carlos’ and Perez’ accidents