Discover who emerged victorious and who faced setbacks at the Monaco Grand Prix, as the Prince of Monaco finally claimed his throne.
For Charles Leclerc, the Monaco Grand Prix has been a series of unfortunate events: DNFs, cancellations, and missed opportunities. His past races in his home Principality read like a string of misfortune – DNF, DNF, Cancelled, DNS, fourth, and sixth. In 2021, despite clinching pole position, a crash and subsequent technical issues dashed his hopes of starting from P1.
This year, however, Leclerc made no mistakes. He finally conquered the streets of Monaco, breaking the curse that had plagued him for so long. Yet, while Leclerc basked in his hard-earned victory, the gathering storm clouds signaled trouble for some of his colleagues, adding a touch of drama to an otherwise uneventful race.
Winner – Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc delivered his most impressive performance since joining F1, casting aside past misfortunes to dominate the Monaco Grand Prix. While some might point to his serene drive in Australia 2022, this victory was special as it came with the heavy burden of his Monaco hoodoo.
Leclerc showcased his prowess by topping FP2 and FP3. Although McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri appeared to have the edge in Q2, Leclerc roared back in Q3, securing pole with two blistering laps. In Monaco, pole position often dictates the race outcome, and this year was no exception.
A red flag halted all strategic maneuvers, forcing the field to switch to hard tires if they had started on mediums. Piastri had a few fleeting chances, but overtaking Leclerc on his home turf proved impossible.
This victory marks Leclerc’s first Grand Prix win since Austria 2022, nearly two years ago, and the sixth of his career. He now trails Max Verstappen by just 31 points, as Verstappen struggled to a sixth-place finish in a lackluster weekend for Red Bull. The championship race is heating up!
Loser – Red Bull, Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez’s dramatic crash on Sunday wasn’t the only headache for Red Bull, as the aftermath will demand extensive repairs at their Milton Keynes base. However, the real worry came from Max Verstappen’s candid post-qualifying remarks.
Verstappen sounded almost melancholic as he revealed the team’s vulnerabilities, stating their major issues had been “found out” and “masked” by their past dominance. The RB20’s ride quality over bumps and kerbs proved to be a significant problem.
While Monaco is an outlier, Red Bull’s struggles on street tracks have been notable, requiring the car to be run low to the ground for optimal downforce. On smoother tracks like Bahrain or China, the RB20 excels, but on bumpy, cambered street circuits, it falters.
McLaren, meanwhile, appears to have solved its low-speed weaknesses, posing a new challenge for Red Bull.
Perez’s shattered RB20 encapsulated his weekend—a driver who should have avoided early trouble ended up with his race and car ruined through no fault of his own. Red Bull faces a crucial period of reflection and repair.
Winner – Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri has faced a tough 2024, losing valuable points both through bad luck and his own mistakes. In Miami, a collision with Carlos Sainz, who was fortunate to reclaim his third spot on the grid, cost Piastri a top-five finish. In Imola, he lost second place on the grid after impeding Kevin Magnussen in Q1 at Tamburello.
Meanwhile, teammate Lando Norris was building momentum with three consecutive podiums, including a win in Miami. It was crucial for Piastri to halt Norris’ streak, and he did just that by outperforming him throughout the Monaco weekend. Piastri consistently edged out Norris by a tenth or two and came close to challenging for pole position in Q3.
Though pole eluded him, Piastri’s performance was exceptional and essential in stopping Norris’ momentum. This standout drive demonstrated Piastri’s potential and reaffirmed his place as a formidable competitor within McLaren.
Loser – Kevin Magnussen
Magnussen can count himself extremely lucky he is not facing a race ban for Caanda after the stewards declined to take further action over the Perez incident.
By sticking his car up the inside as he did, he repeated what he did to Yuki Tsunoda in China and Logan Sargeant in Miami, both things he was handed penalty points for, hooking the other car out with severe damage.
Magnussen is no mug and has been around and driven up Beau Rivage enough times to know you simply do not drive into what is always going to be a closing wedge.
He is a driver who is looking increasingly ‘done’ with F1 and his frustration is coming through in his driving. At least his multiple penalties in the Miami sprint was worth something as Nico Hulkenberg banked some points for the team.
This time, Magnussen’s bin it move also took the sister car out. The low point in a season defined by them.
Winner – Pierre Gasly
In the early part of the season, Alpine struggled, with Pierre Gasly often overshadowed by teammate Esteban Ocon. Ocon secured Alpine’s first point with a 10th place finish in Miami and followed up with 11th in Canada, seeming to have the upper hand as the team worked to shed excess weight and improve the A524.
However, Gasly’s performance in Monaco was exceptional. He secured a Q3 berth, a crucial achievement on a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult, almost guaranteeing him a points finish.
Despite challenges from his teammate, Gasly delivered, securing valuable points and showcasing his skill. This standout performance marks a turning point, proving Gasly’s capabilities and bolstering Alpine’s efforts in the season.
Loser – Esteban Ocon
When incidents happen once, it’s easy to chalk it up to bad luck. Twice, and you start to see a pattern. Three times, and it’s hard to ignore there’s a problem. This isn’t just about the collisions between Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly since the start of 2023, with accidents in Australia and Hungary being unfortunate but unavoidable.
The real issue lies in Ocon’s repeated clashes with teammates. His history of collisions includes incidents with Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso, and now Gasly. Ocon’s aggressive move at Portier during the Monaco Grand Prix seemed less about securing points for the team and more about personal rivalry, with his post-race “mistakes happen” comment showing a lack of accountability.
Team boss Bruno Famin intervened, demanding Ocon issue a public apology. However, the damage is done. This is increasingly becoming Gasly’s team, and with Ocon’s contract up at the end of the season, his future at Enstone looks uncertain. As a result of his reckless actions, Ocon could face the ultimate penalty: being benched for the Canadian Grand Prix.
