Charles Leclerc wins the Monaco Grand Prix in front of a jubilant home crowd as he leads from start to finish after opening lap drama that saw FOUR cars crash out

A blistering first lap – a speed of 260 km/h, the drivers fortunately unharmed, a delay of 40 minutes – and then total boredom. That was the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, in which Charles Leclerc overcame his hoodoo and won on his own Tarmac.

For Max Verstappen, the world champion who finished in sixth place, the monotony was too much. ‘F*** me!’ he exclaimed. This is really boring. I should have brought my pillow.”

Fair point: the top 10 on the grid finished in the same order they started. Another bad day for the image of Monaco’s showpiece, on a circuit too small for today’s big, heavy cars.

But for Leclerc it is a joy to be only the second Monegasque to win here. The only other was Louis Chiron in 1931. That performance in a Bugatti earned him an arrest at the pool, just as Leclerc will one day be immortalized. Before that, he climbs to the Grimaldi Palace for the post-race dinner with Prince Albert and his royal family – a tradition here, as is the processional meal.

What a day for Leclerc, 26, a nice guy whose supportive father Herve died in 2017 at the age of 54. He ran a factory that made auto parts; Charles’ mother Pascale is a hairdresser. They are the kind of people from Monaco who serve the rich.

The Monegasque driver enjoyed a comfortable performance as he started on pole and crossed the checkered line first

The Ferrari star jumped into the crowd where his team staff were waiting to celebrate with him after the race

Twice he had taken pole position here, but he had not even finished on the podium. This time he was calmly in charge.

In reality, all he had to do was keep his Ferrari outside the barriers. If he succeeded, no one would be able to pass him, not on this narrow asphalt path. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri chased him all the way to second, while Carlos Sainz finished third in the other scarlet car.

The die was cast due to the opening round drama, which raised a red flag. All competitors could be re-shod, and it was then a matter of taking care of their rubber house, however snail-like. At one point Leclerc was told to ‘slow down a bit’. What an indictment!

Pirelli, the tire suppliers, is anything but blameless. Yes, they made the three softest tire compounds available for Monaco’s slow corners, but they were still too durable, and the leaders, among others, completed the 3.3 kilometer circuit 77 out of 78 times without having to stop again.

By then the theater was over and Sergio Perez had walked away unscathed from the 160mph crash that sent hearts racing.

The Mexican, who started 16th, was tagged by the Haas of Kevin Magnussen who was heading uphill after the first corner, Sainte Devote. The Dane’s left front caught Perez’s right back, sending him into the barriers.

Perez then crashed into the other Haas of the impeccable Nico Hulkenberg in a dramatic pinball move that led to a stop while the rubble was cleared.

Perez’s Red Bull was virtually destroyed. Only the right rear tires remained in place. In tribute to safety pioneers, the monocoque protected the driver from injury. Everyone climbed out without visible injuries.

Magnussen had been enthusiastic and pushed his way in before running out of the room. “I just got pushed against the wall and made contact with him,” Magnussen said.

“I trusted him to make room for me since I was there.

‘You have to have the width of a car, otherwise you leave that man no choice. It’s a shame: a lot of costs for the team, a lot of work for the boys and a missed opportunity today.’

The stewards took no action – and rightly so given the incident on the first lap, where the officials tried to show more leniency.

The decision was a relief for Magnussen, who would have been banned from racing if he had received two more points on his super license, having already clocked 10.

In a further twist, the two Alpines became confused. Esteban Ocon, who pushed himself through when entering the tunnel and gave Pierre Gasly no more space, went airborne on impact. He landed well, but his car was damaged.

‘What did he do?’ Gasly asked. ‘Why did he try to attack me? Oh my God. The whole car is now damaged!’

The stewards gave Ocon a 10-second penalty for this unnecessary action, but he was out of the race and had put on his jeans by then. His penalty will be commuted to a five-place grid drop for the next race in Canada.

Ultimately, Verstappen has a lead of 32 points over Leclerc with 16 laps to go.