Perez wins Monaco GP; Leclerc places 4th in 1st finish at home race
Red Bull's Sergio Perez had never led a single lap of the Monaco Grand Prix entering this year's race but claimed the third victory of his career Sunday at the crown jewel of Formula 1.
Perez has become the winningest Mexican driver in F1 history, breaking a tie with Pedro Rodriguez.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz crossed the line second after a dominant qualifying session for The Prancing Horses.
Reigning champion, current points leader, and Perez's teammate, Max Verstappen, finished third.
While Charles Leclerc finally earned a result at his home race for the first time, it was a disappointing one for the Monegasque pole sitter. He wound up finishing off the podium in fourth thanks in part to a costly pit stop during the 25th lap.
Leclerc had never finished the five Monaco races he'd been entered into. Dating back to his Formula 2 tenure, Leclerc has four DNFs and was unable to start last year's Monaco GP due to damage sustained during qualifying when he clinched pole position.
The race ended under a time limit after heavy rain delayed the start by more than an hour. Roughly 15 laps were shaved off of the iconic grand prix as a result.
An initial delay from race control caused a mad dash as cars already on the grid needed to switch out wet tires. Formation laps eventually began under safety car, but a red flag was promptly waved and drivers retreated to pits. After a lengthy delay, the safety car ushered drivers out of the pit and into a rolling start.
Sunday marks the second straight victory at Monaco for Red Bull, with Verstappen winning in 2021. Daniel Ricciardo also won in 2018 when he was with the team.
Verstappen now leads the championship with 125 points, boasting a narrow nine-point gap over Leclerc. Perez is a mere six points back from Leclerc.
Further down track, George Russell continued to outperform Mercedes teammate and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Russell finished fifth while Hamilton placed eighth.
McLaren's Lando Norris lost a spot after an impressive fifth-place finish in qualifying, placing sixth. However, he earned an extra point for himself and his team by claiming the fastest lap of the day. Meanwhile, his teammate's struggles continued, as Ricciardo wound up 13th.
Former champ Fernando Alonso finished seventh. Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon was pushed outside the points by incurring a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits and placing 12th.
Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas and Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel rounded out the points, finishing ninth and 10th, respectively.
Both Haas drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher, did not finish the race, with the latter suffering a dramatic crash.
Williams' Alex Albon was the only other retirement.