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Charles Leclerc celebrates after winning his home Monaco Grand Prix.
CNN
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It’s third time lucky Charles Leclerc Finally a winner in his hometown of Monaco Grand Prix On Sunday, after starting the race in pole position in the two previous editions.
The Monegasque driver led from start to finish, crossing the finish line seven seconds ahead of second-placed Oscar Piastre.
Ferrari’s Leclerc paid an emotional tribute to his late father after the race, telling broadcaster Sky Sports that he was thinking of him as he headed towards the final.
“He’s given everything for me to be here and it was our dream for me to win the race here, so it’s unbelievable,” he said.
Leclerc had to survive a dramatic opening lap in which a fifth of the field crashed, causing the race to be red-flagged before a lengthy delay during which marshals cleared debris from the track and rebuilt sections of barriers.
Confusion began when Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz suffered a puncture after the start following contact with Piastre and had to use a run-off.
Later, in a separate incident, Kevin Magnussen clipped Sergio Perez as he tried to overtake him, and the Red Bull driver bounced into the walls, his car crumpling and littering the track before coming to rest in a crumpled heap. Leave the tire.
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Sergio Perez’s car was rescued from the track after crashing on the first lap.
Magnussen’s team-mate Nico Hulkenberg had a crash from which all drivers were able to walk away, but all were thrown out of the race.
There was another incident in the pack when Alexander Albon collided with his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly to retire from the race.
The red flag was a relief for Sainz, who was able to regain his original position in third place on the grid when the race resumed after a long delay to rebuild the barriers that Perez crashed into.
He finished third, with McLaren’s Piastre in second between the two Ferrari drivers.
They celebrated on the podium with Leclerc, who became the first Monegasque driver since 1931 to win one of the sport’s historic rounds. It created “the dream of one day becoming a Formula One driver”, Leclerc later said.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished sixth.
