Pole-sitter Charles Leclerc was a shock last-minute withdrawal from the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday as Ferrari announced a problem with his SF21 car. With Charles, who had damaged his car in a crash at the end of Saturday qualifying, out and his front-row spot vacant, Max Verstappen for Red Bull was left leading the grid for this fifth leg of the Formula One season and the Dutch driver made the most of this opportunity to score an important win in his title fight with Mercedes.
For Monaco-born Charles Leclerc it was a cruel end to his dream of winning his home grand prix. News that his car would not be leaving the pits came just minutes before the 1300GMT start time. It was all the more unexpected as a couple of hours earlier Scuderia Ferrari had announced repairs had been carried out without a change of gearbox which would have incurred a five-grid penalty. Despite his familiarity with the narrow unforgiving street circuit his record at his home race remains bleak and pointless.
With Charles unable to race, Ferrari relied on Carlos Sainz to fight for a podium finish and score imortant points in the fight with McLaren for third place. Carlos successfully defended his position at the start and took advantage of Valtteri Bottas’ retirement, as the Mercedes driver was out of the Monaco Grand Prix after the mechanics were not able to take off his front right tyre during a pit stop.
Carlos Sainz therefore finished in second place on the streets of Monte Carlo, securing his first podium for Scuderia Ferrari!
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