Charles Leclerc has finally done it! The Monegasque driver for Scuderia Ferrari has won his home race for the first time ever. It was a tough start in the Monaco Grand Prix which resulted in the two Alpine drivers crashing into each other while Sergio Perez's car looked like scraps after being demolished. But, he managed to do it not just for his home country but also for his father who passed away before he got a seat in F1. The victory was even made sweeter because Fred Vasseur saw Carlos Sainz finish P2 at one of the most iconic Triple Crown races.
Charles Leclerc, a cut above the rest
The F1 Monaco Grand Prix curse was lifted for Charles Leclerc. He started off with the pole position and managed to get Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris off his coattails to score the victory. Ferrari's pit-stop strategy was impeccable. That was mixed with the Monegasque having a heavy foot on the pedal and the SF-24's shiftiness in the streets. Number 16 finished the race a little just above 2 hours and 23 minutes. His dominance and mastery of Circuit de Monaco got him a +7.152-second lead over second-place finisher Oscar Piastri.
Charles Leclerc was ecstatic after winning. He even had to recall all the heartbreaks that came for him in previous iterations of the Monaco Grand Prix, via F1.
“No words can explain that… It’s such a difficult race. I think the fact that twice I’ve been starting on pole position and we couldn’t quite make it makes it even better in a way. It means a lot, obviously. It’s the race that made me dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver one day. It was a difficult race emotionally because already 15 laps to the end you’re just hoping that nothing happens, already the emotions were coming,” the Ferrari driver declared.
He even went on X to thank the Tifosi for their constant support.
A big win for Ferrari at the Monaco Grand Prix
This was not just a historic triumph for Leclerc, who promised his dad a lot before his passing. It was him exorcising his demons and getting Ferrari closer to beating the Max Verstappen-led Red Bull Racing squad. For the Monegasque, he had four DNFs, a DNS, and a bottled pole position which had him fall to P4. All the while, he also crashed Niki Lauda's iconic Ferrari 312B3. It was symbolic of not just his rise in F1 but also his extraordinary ability to prove that he can still be the number one driver for the Scuderia once Carlos Sainz parts.
The individual accolades might be great but the victory was also for Ferrari. Their team strategy held the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to P2 and P3 finishes. This was a big gain for the team too. This got Leclerc his fifth podium and first win of the F1 season to notch 138 points so far. This is only 31 points behind championship leader Max Verstappen.
Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz's P3 finish got him a total of 108 points already. The departing Ferrari driver is now just five points away from usurping Lando Norris for the third spot in the World Drivers' Championship. In the Constructors' battle, Ferrari is also now just 24 points away from taking the lead away from Red Bull Racing.
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