Hometown hero Charles Leclerc won his first Grand Prix of the 2024 season – but not everyone was smiling.
The Ferrari star started in pole for Formula 1’s latest stop in the calendar, one that started in dramatic circumstances.
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez was involved in a nasty smash during the first lap after being struck by Haas’ Kevin Magnussen.
Perez, who luckily walked away from the car despite it going nearly 150mph during the incident, lost three of his tyres.
The red flag was brought out and drivers faced a lengthy wait for the race restart, which came around 40 minutes after the crash.
Leclerc returned to pole position on the grid as the action resumed and went on to go all the way in his home country and win.
He crossed the finish line a comfortable distance ahead of McLaren Oscar Piastri, with Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz coming third.
Meanwhile, world champion Max Verstappen finished in sixth and it’s fair to say he wasn’t the biggest fan of this year’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Speaking on his Red Bull team radio during the race, he was heard saying: “F*** me this is boring, should have brought my pillow.”
Verstappen has won five of this season’s Grands Prix but was unable to make it six this time round after a poor qualification, which put him sixth – where he remained.
Leclerc won his first Grand Prix since winning in Austria in 2022, with the victory Ferrari’s second so far this year.
Verstappen still leads the drivers’ standings, as do Red Bull in the constructor’s, although it’s another weekend without success, which will irk the Austrian team.