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The 2024 F1 Monaco GP was a bit of a dull affair. A race where overtakes are a rarity and cars drive to a delta, it was a tough watch for everyone and the red flag delay didn't help either. In all of this, the feel-good factor has to be Charles Leclerc reigning supreme.
The driver did a brilliant job on Saturday to secure the win in the F1 Monaco GP. He was followed by Oscar Piastri in P2 and Carlos Sainz in P3. It was an emotional podium for many as the hometown hero got the win.
Max Verstappen could finish only P6 in the race, ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who was only P7. With the gap at the top of the championship standing getting smaller, what have we learned? Let's find out as we take a look at the key takeaways of the F1 Monaco GP.
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2024 F1 Monaco GP: Key takeaways
#1 Charles Leclerc deserves the accolades
The F1 Monaco GP was all about Charles Leclerc and finally, it's safe to say that he deserves it. He's a race winner after almost two years now and you have to say it was a long time coming. Monaco has been hard for Leclerc and it has been an unfair track for him.
To nail everything on Saturday and not put a foot wrong on Sunday is just something that has been a long time coming. A win at the F1 Monaco GP is something that Charles Leclerc aspired for a long time. He got one now and it's safe to say that he deserved every bit of it.
#2 Max Verstappen and Red Bull need to start looking over their shoulder
Max Verstappen can be genuinely happy for Charles Leclerc for winning his home race and maybe not take the drop in points this weekend too seriously either but then he would be doing it at his own peril.
The gap between Max and Charles has been cut down to 31 points now and one unfortunate race weekend is all it takes for the gap to shrink even further. Red Bull doesn't enjoy the massive pace advantage it did in the past and Max might need to start looking over his shoulder for the next few races.
#3 Monaco should not be on the F1 Calendar!
Everyone is happy about Charles Leclerc winning the F1 Monaco GP and they should be. But let's be fair. This was not a race. This was a procession. When even the drivers in the race are telling their engineers that it's boring then there's something seriously wrong.
With these massive behemoths of F1 cars, you just can't race in Monaco. And if you can't overtake, what's the point of a 'race' at this track? Either F1 brings back the smaller cars or calls time on this track, you can't continue with this.
#4 The Alpine team principal needs a reality check!
Last season Esteban Ocon scored a point with Alpine at the F1 Monaco GP. This season, trying to battle for a point with his teammate, he crashed out. These crashes happen, especially if you see what happened afterwards where a driver could drive his car 15 seconds slower (we're exaggerating but you get the point) and not risk losing his position.
This season, heading into the F1 Monaco GP, Ocon was 6-1 ahead of his teammate in qualifying and in races. He was the sole points scorer for Alpine. This was a rare weekend where he made a mistake. The reaction from Bruno Famin was not only bewildering but lacked any sense of self-awareness.
Threatening to fire a driver who has been taking the car to places it did not deserve all season shows a complete lack of recognition of what the team needs. At this moment, a driver would rather go to Haas than stick with Alpine and maybe Bruno Famin needs to look in the mirror and ask, can he afford to lose another strong driver?
#5 Lewis Hamilton has nobody but himself to blame
It was a bewildering question from Lewis Hamilton when he said that he wasn't told he needed to push on his out lap. When you're triggering an undercut that's the basic thing that one needs to do. Looking at how Max and Lewis were just helpless when it came to attacking George on much older tires, the whole thing was a no-loss situation anyway.
Having said that, Hamilton's nonchalance after the race where he continues to put down his chances in even the next race is a big surprise. Unless you're fully committed to a season, you're going to get shown up by your teammate, this is precisely what is happening with him right now and he might need to blame himself and not the team for the season he's having.
#6 Oscar Piastri needed that result
Somehow Oscar Piastri was not too happy with the result he put together and one of the biggest reasons behind it is maybe the ambition would have been to win the F1 Monaco GP. The Australian is a brilliant find for McLaren but he needed this result. The last few races have seen the spotlight shine brightly on Lando and this was one weekend where Oscar took all of it on himself.
It has taken him 8 races but Oscar has announced himself in 2024.
#7 Lance Stroll does what he has been doing all season
The F1 Monaco GP saw Fernando Alonso do the donkey's work of creating a 20+ seconds of gap to Lance in the scenario where the Canadian can maybe fight for a point by pitting and having fresher tires than Pierre Gasly.
Well, Stroll gets the fresher tires and then touches the barriers, causing a puncture and ruining what could have been an interesting fight. Maybe Aston Martin needs to bank on the World Champion in the team more instead of the driver whose position in the team continues to be a question mark.
#8 Kevin Magnussen was lucky to escape the race ban
That first-lap incident from Kevin Magnussen deserved a penalty and hence a race ban(he's already on 10 penalty points). The F1 Monaco GP of the Danish driver ended earlier than he would have liked but he needs to be very careful about how he drives in the future.
#9 Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo are all but out of Red Bull contention
Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo are but out of Red Bull contention now. Both have been obliterated by their respective teammates and 8 races is a decent enough time. The way both McLaren and Ferrari are closing up on Red Bull in the constructors championship, we're going to reach a point where the position of the Mexican is going to become untenable.
It is at that point that maybe the team finally takes a call and signs a better partner for Max Verstappen.
#10 Williams deserves a pat on the back
The F1 Monaco GP race weekend started with Williams one of the teams in conversation with Carlos Sainz. The move was scoffed at by many but as the weekend has progressed, it's safe to see why that move makes more and more sense.
The team scored its first points this weekend and in the midfield, it is slowly starting to put things together. James Vowles is a strong leader and for someone like Carlos Sainz, this place would be a nice home for the next few races.
