Leclerc ends Monaco curse with first home GP victory

Charles Leclerc finally conquered his home race demons by claiming a brilliant Monaco Grand Prix victory, fending off a determined challenge from McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri in a tense strategic battle.

Opening Lap Chaos and Red Flag

The race was red-flagged on the opening lap after a shunt between Kevin Magnussen, Sergio Perez, and Nico Hulkenberg.

Magnussen's attempted lunge down the inside of Perez at Beau Rivage made contact, with the Mexican driver sustaining heavy damage as he was tipped into the barriers, also wiping out the unlucky Hulkenberg.

The restart saw more drama as Carlos Sainz picked up a front-left puncture while trying to pass Piastri for second at Turn 1, dropping the Ferrari man to the rear before being granted a reprieve to take his original third grid slot.

Tyre Management

This opening lap chaos forced a change of strategy, with teams switching to a one-stopper to satisfy the requirement of using both tire compounds.

A tactical game quickly developed between Ferrari and McLaren.

Leclerc was tasked with managing the pace to deny McLaren's Lando Norris a pit stop opportunity by building enough of a gap over George Russell.

The Monegasque driver struck the perfect balance, soaking up pressure from Piastri while controlling the race tempo.

McLaren tried to create an undercut window by having Norris pressure Russell.

But Sainz's defensive driving kept Norris at bay, stalling the gap around 15 seconds - not enough for a free stop.

As the laps ticked away, McLaren's strategy faltered.

Leclerc took advantage in the final stages, pulling away from Piastri and leaving the Australian vulnerable to Sainz.

However, the Spaniard couldn't quite make a pass.

Defensive Drives and Final Push

Russell impressively fended off Max Verstappen for over 25 laps despite the Red Bull driver having fresher rubber.

Meanwhile, Hamilton's free stop elevated him to 7th behind his teammate.

Further back, Tsunoda absorbed immense pressure from Albon but made his tires last to finish 8th, allowing Albon to bag Williams' first points of 2023 in 9th.

Gasly survived Ocon contact on lap 1 to take the final point in 10th.

In the end, Leclerc finally banished his Monaco demons to stand atop the iconic podium, greeted by a raucous home crowd's cheers.

Leclerc celebration after the race

Driver Standings

Team Standings