The 2024 Monaco GP offered spectacle and twists, with Charles Leclerc who wins his first home victory. Also on the podium were Oscar Piastri’s McLaren and the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.
A lot of fear at the start, with Sergio Perez emerging unscathed from a bad accident.
Free practice 1: Hamilton’s leap
Ferrari brought major updates, focusing mainly on the wing. Red Bull, however, introduced a new battery without incurring penalties, respecting the replacements allowed by the FIA.
During the first free practice session, most of the drivers chose the hard compounds, focusing on race pace. Piastri and Verstappen were the only ones to opt for the mediums. The day started badly for Gasly, who had to withdraw due to a PU problem. Initial times were 1:14, with Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren leading the way. Towards the end of the session, many drivers returned to the pits to fit the soft compounds, crucial to prepare for qualifying. Ferrari chose to continue the simulation with the yellows. The session was interrupted by a contact from Zhou, whose debris damaged Leclerc’s car, forcing him to return to the pits. The session then ended with Hamilton leading with a time of 1:12.169, followed by Piastri and Russell. Leclerc had a good start but was penalized by contact with Zhou. Sainz finished in tenth position, while Verstappen, eleventh, was not satisfied with his car.
Free practice 2: Leclerc speaks loudly
Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in the second free practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix. The Monegasque from Ferrari finished with a time of 1’11″278, about two tenths faster than Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes. Leclerc showed excellent form on both race pace and flying lap, demonstrating a great feeling with the SF-24 in the narrow streets of the Principality. This result makes him one of the protagonists of the weekend on the French Riviera, a partially unexpected result that he will try to confirm in tomorrow’s qualifying.
Hamilton achieved the best time in the morning session, showing great effectiveness on the flying lap, but not so much on the race pace. The English driver ended the day just 188 thousandths behind Leclerc, a result that gives Mercedes confidence. Fernando Alonso is third, half a second behind Leclerc, followed by Max Verstappen, who has never been fully satisfied with the feeling with his RB20, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, the latter appearing to be in greater difficulty than his teammate.
Free practice 3: Leclerc relaunches his red
In the third and final free practice session of the Monaco GP, Charles Leclerc set the time with the best time of 1’11″369, confirming the good sensations of free practice 1 and 2. The Ferrari driver demonstrated the potential of the SF- 24, beating the Red Bull of Max Verstappen by about two tenths, who is still not satisfied with the feeling with his RB20.
Leclerc also got positive feedback from teammate Carlos Sainz, who finished in seventh place. However, these results will have to be confirmed in qualifying.
Verstappen, although improving his times towards the end of the session thanks to a probable increase in engine power, complained of less than optimal sensations, a problem also shared by Sergio Perez, who finished in fifth position. This will lead Red Bull to work on the set-up ahead of qualifying.
Lewis Hamilton took third, demonstrating Mercedes’ competitiveness in Monaco, followed by Oscar Piastri in a slightly slower McLaren. Completing the top ten are George Russell, Sainz, Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda and Fernando Alonso.
The qualification: Leclerc’s third at home
Charles Leclerc took pole position in the qualifying session in Monte Carlo, marking his third career pole on home roads. In a tight session, with many drivers within less than a tenth of a second, the Monegasque from Ferrari found the perfect lap at the end of Q3. This result will be crucial for him and the Ferrari team, who will have to manage it as best they can in view of the race, especially in light of past negative experiences.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took second place, a tenth and a half behind Leclerc, thanks to a clean and quick performance. Piastri showed an excellent feeling with his MCL38 throughout the weekend and is preparing to make the most of his opportunities in the race, which will be largely decided by the start and strategy.
Carlos Sainz, in the other Ferrari, took third place, demonstrating a clear recovery after difficulties in free practice. Followed by Lando Norris, George Russell and Max Verstappen, the latter penalized by an error at the Santa Devota in the last attempt which prevented him from remaining among the best.
Lewis Hamilton finished in seventh place, followed by Yuki Tsunoda and Alexander Albon, while Pierre Gasly completed the top ten with a solid performance despite the technical problems of his Alpine. Disastrous day for Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez, 16th and 18th respectively, unable to get through Q1.
The starting grid
The race: tears of joy for Leclerc
Leclerc wins his first victory in Monaco with strong dedication and a lot of emotion. As the traffic lights went out, Leclerc started well, while Sainz tried to overtake Piastri without success. The contact between Sainz and Piastri causes a puncture for the Spanish driver. An accident between Perez and the Haas of Hulkenberg and Magnussen marks the first lap, with Perez losing control of the car after being rear-ended by Magnussen, also involving Hulkenberg.
Fortunately, none of the three pilots suffered any consequences. A contact between the two Alpines near the tunnel damages Gasly’s car. The race is suspended to allow the stewards to fix the track. Before the restart, the restart order puts Sainz back in third place.
At 3.44pm, the drivers resume the race, which proceeds regularly with the top positions unchanged. During the suspension, the top four were on hard tyres, while Russell, Verstappen and Hamilton opted for medium tyres.
Russell attempts to overtake Norris for fourth without success, while Ocon receives a 10-second time penalty but has already retired. On lap twenty, Leclerc, Piastri, Sainz and Norris are within three seconds. Piastri is very close to Leclerc, while Norris alternates laps in the DRS with Sainz. Russell, ten seconds behind Norris, doesn’t have a good pace on medium tyres. Verstappen, between the two Mercedes, doesn’t have a good pace either. Tsunoda, Albon and Gasly are having a good race in eighth, ninth and tenth position.
The Canadian driver hits the wall at the port chicane, causing a puncture and a pit stop. Hamilton stops to put on hard tyres, followed by Verstappen. Sainz and Norris engage in a duel, with Norris considering a pit stop to fit medium or soft tires for a final attack. Sainz tries to increase the gap with Russell to avoid the pit stop. Verstappen, on fresh tyres, closes in on Russell for fifth. The race proceeds without significant overtaking, with the top 10 made up of Leclerc, Piastri, Sainz, Norris, Russell, Verstappen, Hamilton, Tsunoda, Albon and Gasly.
