Leclerc finally conquers Monaco after opening-lap carnage

Charles Leclerc has secured his first race win of the 2024 Formula 1 season, prevailing at his home Monaco Grand Prix.

Leclerc started the race from pole position, with the race red-flagged on the opening lap after a seismic incident involving three cars at Turn 2.

Following the restart, the Monegasque driver was unchallenged en route to the chequered flag.

Oscar Piastri scored his first podium of the season in a Senna-themed McLaren car while the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz took the final spot on the podium.

Red flag after Turn 2 smash

Leclerc held off a challenge from Piastri into Turn 1 when the lights went out as team-mate Sainz attacked the McLaren driver, resulting in slight contact between the pair.

Sainz suffered a puncture as a result of the incident, while behind, an even bigger incident occurred.

At the back of the field, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen made contact with Sergio Perez as they ran up the hill after the opening corner.

Perez was sent into a spin and suffered a high-speed collision with the barrier before collecting the second Haas of Nico Hulkenberg.

The damage to the barriers and the vast spread of debris on the track resulted in a red flag, which brought a halt to the race for almost 45 minutes.

The stewards opted to take no further action with the incident - allowing Magnussen to escape a race ban as he entered the event with 10 penalty points to his name.

Esteban Ocon also retired from the race after colliding with team-mate Pierre Gasly moments before the red flag was deployed, receiving a five-place grid drop for Canada in two weeks.

The restart - and procession

Race Control’s restart order offered Sainz a second chance as it placed him back in third place despite the opening lap puncture that sent him to the rear.

On the second time of asking, the grid kept it clean with Leclerc leading from Piastri, while Sainz avoided picking up damage during his fight at the front.

For the remainder of the race, Leclerc held the lead with pit stops not mandatory as the drivers changed tyres under the red flag.

The top four of Leclerc, Piastri, Sainz and Norris managed their pace and built a gap to the field behind, with Russell occupying fifth.

The final laps saw Piastri's pace drop off as he struggled with his tyres, however the narrow Monaco track presented no opportunities to his rivals behind.

Max Verstappen made a pit stop on lap 53 to put pressure on Russell as the race entered its final stages.

Try as he might, the three-time world champion couldn't make a move on Russell and had to settle for sixth at the chequered flag.

Lewis Hamilton was seventh, having also made a pit stop that prompted Red Bull's call to bring Verstappen into the pit lane.

Yuki Tsunoda scored more points for RB in ninth, while Alex Albon and Gasly rounded out the top 10 for Williams and Alpine respectively.