F1: Five things we learnt from the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix

The Monaco Grand Prix began with a huge lap one crash and a red flag but was deemed “boring” by fans and drivers.

Formula 1 returned to its capital for the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix and round eight of the championship. The Circuit de Monaco played host to the 81st race on the streets of Monte Carlo.

So, what did we learn from a rather uneventful race following an early incident?

Monaco has its first Monegasque winner

Charles Leclerc took pole position in Monaco, a position he had achieved previously but experienced issues that led to him failing to convert the pole to a win. The Monegasque driver has had unfortunate luck at his home race. It became popularised that the young Ferrari driver had a ‘Monaco curse.’

Leclerc’s pole position in Qualifying marked Ferrari’s 250th in F1. It also denied the reigning champion, Max Verstappen, the record for most consecutive pole positions. Last race at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Verstappen took his eighth consecutive pole to match Ayrton Senna’s record.

However, 2024 has been the year for curse-breaking. First, Lando Norris achieved his maiden win in Miami. Second, Leclerc raced to victory at his home circuit on the streets of Monte Carlo.

The moment Charles Leclerc WON his home race in Monaco ?❤ pic.twitter.com/azHk6vNwQJ

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 26, 2024

The 26-year-old is the first Monaco-born winner of the Monaco Grand Prix in the world championship era. Furthermore, Leclerc is the first Monegasque victor since 1931, when Louis Chiron won the third edition of the race.

Leclerc’s win in Monaco marks the first for the Ferrari driver since 2022 at the Austrian Grand Prix. Stepping on the top of Monaco’s podium ended a 39-race winless streak for the Monegasque.

The emotional moment Charles Leclerc is crowned the winner of the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix ??? pic.twitter.com/vZwjj9uY7u

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 26, 2024

Kevin Magnussen is dangerous

As mentioned, the Monaco Grand Prix began with a massive shunt early into the first lap. Both Haas drivers – Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen – had been disqualified from Qualifying following a technical non-compliance infringement. Therefore, they started in P19 and P20 on the grid.

Magnussen got an impressive start off the line, overtaking his teammate into Sainte Devote. Then, the Dane closed in on the Red Bull of Sergio Perez. He was on the right-hand side of the RB20 heading up Beau Rivage. Instead of backing off when Perez moved across to the racing line, the Haas driver pushed on.

Magnussen’s front left wheel caught with Perez’s rear right and the VF-24 pushed the RB20 round into the barriers at great force. Unfortunately for Magnussen’s teammate, Hulkenberg tried to pick up enough speed to clear the incident ahead of him. However, the German driver’s rear right wheel was clipped, sending him spinning.

"That is a MONSTER of an accident!" ?

A look at the huge crash between Perez and both Haas drivers which caused a red flag – thankfully all three drivers are out of the cars and are fine ✅ pic.twitter.com/Df10hRTSIf

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 26, 2024

Therefore, after only one corner of the Circuit de Monaco, three cars were out of the race. Luckily, despite the severity of the crash, all drivers were uninjured. However, the incident raised questions about Magnussen’s driving.

The current F1 drivers have often described Magnussen as one of the most dangerous drivers in the sport. Certainly, the Danish driver has been known to drive aggressively on the limits, sometimes successfully in his favour but other times causing unnecessary incidents.

Under the new penalty points system for 2024, Magnussen currently has 10 points on his super licence. 12 penalty points is the threshold for a race ban. However, the Haas driver has escaped a potential race ban after the race stewards found that there would be no further action following their investigation.

The first lap incident negated any strategy

Some may say the chaos of the first lap added to the entertainment value. But the incident was dangerous and, arguably, unnecessary. Undoubtedly, it made the rest of the race that followed less entertaining.

The red flag from the crash negated any opportunity for team strategy with pitstops. Therefore, the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix became a race of nursing tyres to the end of the race. Tyres that were changed during the red flag on the first lap.

In addition, Carlos Sainz lucked out because of the red flag. After a first-lap incident where he brushed tyres with Oscar Piastri in a battle for P2 at Sainte Devote, Sainz suffered a puncture. The Spaniard limped his SF-24 back to the Ferrari pits and joined the race restart in the same position as before – P3.

Multiple drivers did not re-enter the pits during the race, including the top four race leaders – Leclerc, Piastri, Sainz, and Norris. Some brief entertainment came from Verstappen in P6 and Lewis Hamilton in P7 pitting to change tyres. Verstappen then gained time on George Russell ahead in P5, who did not pit, while Hamilton closed in on Verstappen.

However, even when Verstappen got within DRS range of Russell, the Dutchman could not overtake in the single short DRS zone. The circuit is notoriously difficult for modern, large F1 cars to overtake. In the entire race, there were only two overtakes from two of the slowest drivers of the race – Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas.

Monaco is not fit for purpose

As we know, then, Monaco is vastly important in Formula 1’s history. However, we also know that the circuit presents issues for modern F1 cars. The order in which drivers qualify will likely be the order they cross the finish line of the race.

Ultimately, the entertainment factor of the actual grand prix is lacking. Certainly, the history and prestige of the circuit situated in a luxurious and beautiful landscape provide a level of interest. But so often the races on the streets of Monte Carlo have proved slow, boring, and uneventful.

Following the race, Verstappen spoke to the media about the race. He shared:

“My god, that was terrible. So boring! […] You can’t pass.”

Russell then joked in response:

“I was scared that we’re gonna lose the tyres by driving so slow.”

The two drivers, who battled for P5 as much as the circuit would allow, brainstormed ideas to improve the race’s entertainment factor. Russell said:

“We need to do something. They need to change something for Sunday. […] Mandatory pit stops.”

George: “mandatory pit stops”

Max: “Like 5”

George: “one lap on foot”

These two omg?pic.twitter.com/41q7WtpXB9

— Sem¹ ☆☆☆ (@Semmieeef1) May 26, 2024

Alpine drivers continue to battle each other

Another first-lap incident that was overshadowed by the Perez and Haas collision happened between the two Alpine drivers. At the entrance to the tunnel, Esteban Ocon cut across the front of his teammate, Pierre Gasly. Therefore, Gasly’s car shunted Ocon into the air, causing damage that put Ocon out of the race.

We have seen the Alpine drivers take each other out before at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix. Arguably, their fierce rivalry is not working out for the already struggling team. The drivers lined up on the starting grid in P10 and P11 and, therefore, could have both finished in the points. Points are desperately needed for Alpine, coming into the Monaco weekend with only one point scored.

As reported by gpblog.com, speaking after the race the Alpine Team Principal, Bruno Famin told Canal +:

“Esteban’s attack was completely out of line. It wasn’t what we wanted to see. There will be consequences. We’re going to have to make a tough decision.”

Following the race, Gasly expressed his disappointment when asked about the incident by members of the media. He said:

“I’m just disappointed with Esteban. Because it should not happen. And for the team […] we can’t afford to have this sort of behaviour. […] We had clear instructions before the race and this hasn’t been respected.”

Ocon initially received a 10-second time penalty for the incident. However, this has now been converted to a grid penalty at the next grand prix in Canada.

Featured Image Credit: @ScuderiaFerrari on Twitter