Charles Leclerc finally claimed victory at the Monaco Grand Prix, delivering a largely smooth drive to first place in front of his home crowd despite early chaos at the start.
The race was immediately disrupted by a massive collision involving Sergio Perez’s Red Bull and the Haas cars of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, resulting in red flags and the elimination of all three cars before the first lap was completed.
Once the race resumed, Leclerc pulled away cleanly, with Esteban Ocon forced to retire due to heavy contact with his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly on Lap 1. The remainder of the race revolved around strategic decisions, focusing on whether the leading cars would pit or attempt to complete the event without stopping.
Leclerc maintained his composure throughout, ultimately securing his first win on the streets of Monte Carlo, surpassing his previous best result of fourth place. He crossed the finish line seven seconds ahead of Oscar Piastri, who delivered a confident performance in the McLaren and held off a late challenge from Carlos Sainz. Sainz completed the podium, making it a double Ferrari celebration, while also managing to fend off Lando Norris in the second McLaren, who finished fourth.
George Russell, equipped with an upgraded front wing, was the leading Mercedes in fifth, successfully defending against a hard-charging Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton added to Mercedes’ points tally by finishing seventh.
Yuki Tsunoda had a strong showing, finishing eighth in the Red Bull. Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly both scored their first points of the year, placing ninth and tenth for Williams and Alpine, respectively.
Fernando Alonso made a partial recovery from a difficult Saturday, narrowly missing out on points with an 11th place finish for Aston Martin. Daniel Ricciardo came in 12th for Red Bull, followed by Valtteri Bottas as the leading Kick Sauber in 13th.
Lance Stroll experienced disappointment, ending in 14th for Aston Martin after a puncture during a pit stop in the race’s second half. Williams’ Logan Sargeant followed in 15th place.
Zhou Guanyu was the final classified driver in 16th place for Kick Sauber, with four cars failing to finish the first lap. Ocon retired due to his collision with Gasly, earning a five-place grid penalty for the next race in Canada. Perez, Magnussen, and Hulkenberg also retired following their dramatic opening-lap crash.
