A win
in Monaco has been covered by every driver who has ever sat in the cockpit of a
Formula 1 car. It’s the jewel in the crown and one of the biggest driving
challenges in the world.
It’s even more if you’re the Monaco born and raised
Charles Leclerc. Though he’s attempted to win on home soil before there seemed
to be some type of curse stopping him from claiming the most coveted win on
them all. That was until this year where he finally managed to get the elusive
win on the famous Monte Carlo streets.
From
the first free practice session on Friday there was an air of inevitability
about Leclerc’s march towards victory. Still, he had to put it all together
which is something that had eluded him in years gone by. Not so in 2024 as he
stormed to pole position ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari teammate
Carlos Sainz. Red Bull’s woes seemed to worsen in comparison to Imola and
Miami, with Max Verstappen able to manage only sixth on the grid. The Red Bull
seemed especially poor in riding the kerbs and was a clear handful for the
entire weekend. Nevertheless, team boss Christian Horner, confirmed that they
had expected a difficult weekend in Monaco. Regardless, it is quite jarring to
see Red Bull struggle in the way that they are. It wasn’t too long ago that
winning both championship titles seemed a formality. Not so now.
It was
compounded by Checo Perez not making it out of Q1 on Saturday and being caught
up, at the beginning of the race, with the two Haas cars. In a moment that can
only be described as a brain fade Kevin Magnussen attempted an overtake, on
Perez, climbing the hill after turn one.
It ended in a monumental crash which
took out Magnussen, Perez, and Hulkenberg and brought out the red flag on lap
one. It was a lengthy stoppage too as the barrier needed replacing. Esteban
Ocon too suffered a moment of sheer lunacy as he attempted an overtake on
teammate Pierre Gasly into the tunnel. The two Alpine’s came together and the
damage to Ocon’s car was enough to bring his race to an end.
Bruno Famin,
Alpine team principal, was rightly incensed and hinted that Ocon will face
consequences for his foolish actions. Whether Famin will reverse course on
these statements after the emotions settle remains to be seen. However, there
is some speculation that Ocon could be benched for the Canadian grand prix in
favour of reserve driver, Jack Doohan.
There
is no hiding the fact that the Monaco grand prix is never the most exciting
race in the F1 calendar. Yes, it is the proverbial jewel in the crown and
almighty challenge for the drivers but aside from this it can’t produce the
type of entertainment fans yearn for. Heck, it couldn’t even muster a decent
number of overtakes if it tried. As it were, the top four of Leclerc, Piastri,
Sainz, and Norris were line astern for all the 78 laps of the race.
It nearly
wasn’t to be for Sainz though who, after the merest of touches with Piastri
into turn one, suffered a puncture. It looked as if the Ferrari driver would,
at least, drop to the back of the field but the red flag meant that he was
reinstated in third place.
The
red flag also meant that drivers could change tyres and not have to make
another pitstop – and the top four didn’t. It’s an incredible vista and the
historic ambience of those that have raced and won on these famous streets is
truly special. But F1 must find some way of livening up the Monaco grand prix.
Perhaps a mandatory use of all three tyre compounds during the race could be a
starting point.
Behind the top four George Russell ‘held off’ Verstappen (sixth)
and teammate Lewis Hamilton (seventh) who both made late pitstops to
do…something. Yuki Tsunoda was eighth for Alpine while Alex Albon scored
Williams’s first points of the season in ninth. After surviving his kamikaze
teammate, Gasly finished in tenth.
Aside
from the glaring issue of the lack of excitement that the Monaco grand prix is
unable to produce it was nevertheless an unforgettable day for Leclerc. As a
child he had seen these grandstands built in preparation for one of the most
famous races in the world.
These same grandstands rose in adulation for him as
a Monaco grand prix winner. He mentioned thinking of his father who died in
2017 and the realization of a long-held dream finally coming true. This win on
home soil, after suffering one disappointment after another, is a genuinely
popular win for the Monegasque Charles Leclerc.
