What happened at the F1 Monaco Grand Prix? (2024)

Max Verstappen started and finished sixth in a processional Monaco Grand Prix won by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Oracle Red Bull Racing’s three-year unbeaten run in Monte Carlo came to an end after the reigning world champion had won in 2021 and again last year. Team-mate Sergio Pérez, the 2022 Monaco winner, was eliminated and fortunately unhurt after a huge first-lap accident that involved Haas duo Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, which caused a red flag stoppage.

* 2024 is the 75th season of the F1 world championship

Monaco has been a happy hunting ground for Max Verstappen specifically and Oracle RedBull Racing generally over the years; the team has won the most famous race in the sport seven times, and in four of the past five instalments of the event. But adding to that number looked a long shot from the outset this time, with the Dutchman ending up sixth on the grid after qualifying, struggling with bumps and kerbs on the most unique track in the sport, and breaking his run of eight straight pole positions dating back to last season.

Given that only two of the past 14 Monaco races have been won from lower than the front row of the grid, moving forward in the fight was always likely to be close to impossible for Verstappen, whose pace was largely dictated by George Russell (Mercedes) ahead of him. "This is really boring, I should have brought my pillow," he commented in the early stages.

A Lap 52 pit stop for new hard tyres gave Verstappen a chance to chase the British driver down, but at Monaco, catching is one thing and passing another entirely. At the end, there was half a second between them, with Verstappen finishing where he began. His championship lead now sits at 31 points after eight rounds.

If Verstappen's afternoon was long and relatively dull, Pérez's was the polar opposite. A weekend that hadn't hit any great heights before qualifying plumbed new depths during it, with traffic and debris on track seeing the Mexican out in Q1 in 18th place.

Pérez's race lasted all of four corners. As the field charged up the hill after the start, he was hit from behind by Kevin Magnussen's Haas and his car pinballed across the track and bringing Nico Hulkenberg into the mess. All three cars were wrecked and the damaged barriers took 45 minutes to repair, but Pérez was, luckily, unscathed.

The non-finish was tough for his Drivers' Championship tally, though. With Leclerc winning, his team-mate Carlos Sainz finishing third and McLaren’s Lando Norris fourth, all three drivers passed him in the standings, Pérez falling to fifth on 107 points.

Monaco had been a circuit that Yuki Tsunoda had never really come to terms with in three previous visits – 15th place last year was his best return – so the Visa Cash App RB driver was satisfied to finish in eighth place, another standout effort in qualifying setting him up for points for the third race in succession.

Team-mate Daniel Ricciardo didn't fare as well. The 2018 Monaco winner was frustrated with himself after not finding the time he felt was on the table in qualifying and ending up 13th, which became 12th on the grid after Hulkenberg and Magnussen were both excluded from qualifying for a scrutineering breach. Ricciardo spent the entire race tucked-in behind Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and finished 12th.

Tsunoda's points haul meant RB outscored Aston Martin for the third consecutive race, narrowing the deficit for fifth place in the Constructors' Standings to 20 points.

10: The top 10 drivers on the Monaco grid finished in the same positions they started from after 78 laps.

We just finished where we started… from lap one after the restart, it was driving four seconds off the pace – and chill

Max Verstappen

Drivers' Championship top 5

Constructors' Championship top 5

As workplaces environments go, a Formula One co*ckpit is about as stressful as it gets – and things don’t slow down when a driver isn't actually driving. Engineering debriefs, international travel, media and marketing commitments, physical training … it never stops for the elite.

Liam Lawson knows all about that. The New Zealander stepped up to the big time with AlphaTauri (now Visa Cash App RB) in 2023 to compete in five Grands Prix, memorably scoring two world championship points by finishing ninth in Singapore. This year, the 22-year-old is the reserve driver for Oracle RedBull Racing and while his time behind the wheel has reduced, life continues at eighth-gear speed.

Hear from Lawson below on the latest episode of the Mind Set Win podcast series, where he joins host Lisa Ramuschkat to talk about his journey to becoming a professional race car driver, the pressures that come with the role and how working with a mental coach has helped him be the best version of himself.

Round 9: Canada, June 7-9

Circuit name/ location: Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montreal

Length/ laps: 4.361km, 70 laps

Grands Prix held/ debut: 42, 1978

Most successful driver: Lewis Hamilton (seven wins)

Most successful team: Ferrari (11 wins)

2023 race recap: 1st: Max Verstappen (Oracle RedBull Racing), 2nd: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), 3rd: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

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All off-road, all with similarities yet differences and – for the uninitiated – a trio of disciplines where the boundaries can appear blurred. Confused? Don’t be.

We’re here to help with this guide to rally-raid, rallycross and the WRC – and the lowdown on the different conditions, distances, durations, machinery and much more that separate one from the other. Read the explainer, find your favourite and enjoy being an instant expert.