Monaco.
Just saying the word conjures up images of luxury, glamour and the flagship event on the Formula 1 calendar. For decades, the Monaco Grand Prix has been the highlight of the F1 season, with every driver dreaming of standing on the podium with royalty and dominating the field and those twisty, narrow roads.
But for Charles Leclerc, who grew up in Monaco and learned to drive on those very streets, the place he calls home may be his own playground for 51 weeks of the year, but for week 52 of each year, those streets are his nightmare. With the Grand Prix taking place on the streets he grew up on, the heartbreak he’s experienced over the years in his hometown has never gone away.
until today.
After years of heartbreak and many rumors about Leclerc’s “Monaco Curse”, the driver finally broke through on his home turf, capping off an impressive week with a win at the Monaco Grand Prix. Leclerc finished the day as the quickest driver in FP2 on Friday and maintained that momentum in FP3 and Saturday’s qualifying to take the third pole position of his career at his home race.
But Leclerc learned on Saturday night that the job wasn’t done.
“The feeling after a qualifying lap is always very special here. You’re really happy after the lap is over, the excitement is building and it feels really good. But we know so many times before that qualifying isn’t everything. You still need to put it all together on Sunday, even though it helps a lot for the race on Sunday.” Leclerc said immediately after qualifying. Saturday.
He echoed those sentiments at the FIA press conference afterwards.
“But now I have to focus on the race. [I win]”I think we can gain a lot by just focusing on the process of getting there and what we can do within our control before tomorrow’s race, putting it all together and giving ourselves the best chance to win the race tomorrow,” Leclerc said.
Well, tomorrow is the day that Leclerc will finally stand on the top of the podium in Japan.
Leclerc had to work for the win as the F1 gods and several other drivers around him didn’t make it easy. The Ferrari driver made a strong start from the start line and held the lead into the first corner over Oscar Piastri, who had started from second place. However, further back, a heavy collision between Sergio Pérez, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg took all three drivers out of the race.
Crucially to Leclerc’s challenge, damage to three cars and the barriers brought out the red flag.
He’ll need to try again.
After a lengthy delay, Leclerc and the other drivers on the grid re-entered their cars and took to the track for a second standing restart ordered by race officials. Ferrari, who had started the Monaco Grand Prix on medium tyres, fitted Leclerc’s SF-24 to hard tyres and gave him the option of running without a pit stop.
But to be able to do that, he will need to maintain a lead at the start.
He did so, passing Piastri on the short run into the first corner at Sant Devoto and maintaining his lead over the McLaren driver. His team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr., who had a puncture on his front-left tyre on the opening lap, was stuck to Piastri’s rear wing until the restart. Behind Sainz was Lando Norris, with the front four remaining the same at the restart, but on hard tyres instead of the mediums they had started on.
Piastri did not stay quiet that afternoon in Monaco, as the McLaren driver kept the pressure on Leclerc over the next 12 laps, sticking to the Finn’s rear wing and forcing the local hero to make a mark on every lap.
Eventually, Leclerc began to stretch his legs. Having slipped out of Piastri’s DRS range, he held a lead of more than 1.5 seconds on his nearest rival with less than 20 laps to go. With Lando Norris in fourth, George Russell in fifth and the ever-dangerous Max Verstappen dropping back to sixth, Leclerc needed the final few laps to get the SF-24 going and finally savor a home victory.
And he will dodge the final obstacle that his personal Monaco curse will throw at him.
There were no obstacles. No botched pit stops. No mistakes or fumbles. But not on this day. After years of heartache, years of anguish, years of wondering if I would ever make it to the top of my hometown race, the day had finally come.
Charles Leclerc wins the Monaco Grand Prix.
As he crossed the finish line, the Ferrari driver let out a simple but moving shout.
“Yes Yes Yes Yes!”
There will be many more winners and losers, race recaps and fascinating debates from the Monaco Grand Prix in the coming hours, but on this day, Leclerc stands alone.
finally.
