In the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, where the elite converge annually for the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc finally won in his hometown. The Ferrari fans had their hearts captured as Leclerc’s dream of home-race victory finally came to reality. After two years prior to trying to win this race, he became the first Monégasque driver to win in Monaco for the last 93 years. The Monaco “curse,” as fans have called it, has finally been lifted.
During the Race
Hailing from the very heart of this illustrious principality, he showcased his prowess on the unforgiving circuit, delivering a masterclass in precision and audacity. When the red lights extinguished, Leclerc’s Ferrari never let anyone pass him. Having an amazing qualifier round on Saturday, he earned the spot to start first in the race. With each passing lap, the local hero extended his lead, yet an air of apprehension mounted as Oscar Piastri of McLarenran and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari closed in with every circuit, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats. As the checkered flag waved, Leclerc’s triumph was complete, as he brought his car back to his team: he had finally done it, leaving Piastri to come second followed by Sainz in third to finalize the podium. Tears of joy glistened in his eyes as he savored the sweet taste of victory, a moment etched into the fabric of Monaco’s rich motorsport tapestry. According to Formula One, this was the moment that he had been waiting his entire career for. “It’s the race that made me dream of becoming a Formula One driver one day,” Leclerc said. He not only credits himself but also his father. “I have to say that I was thinking to my dad a lot more than what I thought while driving. Obviously, he’s given everything for me to be here, and it was a dream of ours for me to race here and to win, so it’s unbelievable.”
A Three Driver Crash
Heading into Lap One, a sudden crash involved Sergio Perez, Kevin Magnussen, and Nico Hulkenberg. According to Crash.net, Perez suffered the most damage as he spun into the path of Hulkenberg and hit the barrier which caused his car to be totaled. The interference between Perez and Magnussen was mainly caused by Magnussen attempting to pass on the tight right lane. However, due to a risky maneuver, Perez’s wheel caught onto Magnussen causing him to spin out of control. This caused Hulkenberg, who was in hot pursuit, to veer to the right causing him to lose control of his vehicle, luckily his car was not damaged. Magnussen felt that the crash was justifiable: “I trusted he was going to leave the space for me since I was there,” Magnussen said. “It is not a corner you are braking into, it is just a little bend on the straight.” Perez, however, felt that it was an unnecessary crash. With this crash, Perez believed that the contact between the cars could have been avoidable.
How does this affect the Rankings?
After finishing eight of the 24 races, we can compare this year to last year’s season. In both the constructor and driver standings there seems to be less dominance and more of an actual competition for Red Bull Racing this year. Last year, both of Red Bull’s drivers,Verstappen and Perez, were ahead leading the constructors to be ahead by a large margin. However, with Ferrari’s impressive performance, Leclerc took second place by and is only behind Verstappen by 31 points. This puts the unstoppable Red Bull team in intense competition with Ferrari with only 24 points separating them. Even to the most avid Formula One fans, it is obvious that this year has been more exciting than the previous season. With Verstappen winning 19 out of the 22 races last season, this year has more potential. The positive outlook on this season is not lost by many of the fans as the unexpected victories in Monaco, Miami, and Australia keep them hungry for more. The surprising sixth place by Verstappen in this race will likely not happen again as he is expected to excel in the Canadian Grand Prix. We can expect this next race to be where the season really begins.
