Leclerc Triumphs in Monaco, Piastri and Sainz Complete Podium

Charles Leclerc finally secured his first victory at the Monaco Grand Prix, leading a mostly smooth drive to P1 in front of his home crowd despite early race drama.

The race was halted by red flags before the first lap was completed due to a significant collision involving Sergio Perez's Red Bull and the Haas cars of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, resulting in the retirement of all three drivers.

When the race resumed, Leclerc led cleanly, though Esteban Ocon was forced to retire after heavy contact with Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly on Lap 1. The race then became a strategic battle, with attention focused on whether the leading cars would need to pit before the end.

Leclerc managed to maintain his composure and lead throughout, securing his first win on the streets of Monte Carlo, surpassing his previous best result of fourth place.

Leclerc finished seven seconds ahead of Oscar Piastri, who delivered a solid performance in the McLaren and fended off a late challenge from Carlos Sainz. Sainz ensured a double podium for Ferrari by finishing third, while Lando Norris pursued closely in fourth, marking a strong finish for the second McLaren.

George Russell, with an upgraded front wing this weekend, was the leading Mercedes in fifth, successfully defending his position against a charging Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton followed in seventh, adding to Mercedes' points tally.

Yuki Tsunoda had another commendable race, finishing eighth for AlphaTauri, while Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly secured their first points of the year for Williams and Alpine, finishing ninth and tenth respectively.

Fernando Alonso, despite a challenging Saturday, narrowly missed out on points, finishing eleventh for Aston Martin. Daniel Ricciardo finished twelfth for Red Bull, and Valtteri Bottas was the leading Kick Sauber in thirteenth.

Lance Stroll suffered disappointment, ending the race fourteenth for Aston Martin after a puncture post-pit stop. Williams' Logan Sargeant followed in fifteenth.

Zhou Guanyu was the last classified driver in sixteenth for Kick Sauber. The race saw four retirements: Ocon due to his collision with Gasly, resulting in a five-place grid penalty for the next race in Canada, and Perez, Magnussen, and Hulkenberg due to their opening-lap crash.