Charles Leclerc, the driver from Monaco, won the Monaco Grand Prix in dominant fashion. He controlled the race from start to finish, finally achieving victory on his home turf. Leclerc started on pole position and managed to convert that into his sixth career win in Monte Carlo. Oscar Piastri finished in second place, while Carlos Sainz held off Lando Norris to take third. The race had two restarts, but Leclerc kept his composure and managed the pace effectively. The Ferrari and McLaren cars on the first two rows opted for the Medium tire, while the Mercedes drivers and Max Verstappen chose the Hard compound.
Leclerc made a fantastic start, maintaining his lead into the first corner, Sainte Devote. Sainz briefly challenged Piastri for second place but couldn’t make the pass. Unfortunately, Sainz made slight contact with Piastri, resulting in a puncture and forcing him to slow down and lose control of the car. Meanwhile, Leclerc continued to increase his lead, with Piastri close behind.
However, chaos erupted at the back of the pack when Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen made contact. This incident caused a major crash that also involved Nico Hulkenberg. The stewards had no choice but to stop the race and suspend activities. As a result, Perez, Magnussen, and the Haas team were out of the race.
In addition to the Haas incident, there was also a disagreement within the Alpine team. Esteban Ocon tried to overtake Pierre Gasly, who was being held up, but the maneuver ended in disaster. Gasly’s front wheel collided with Ocon’s rear, causing the latter to momentarily go airborne. Ocon expressed his frustration with Gasly’s actions, but the blame was placed on Ocon by Alpine team boss Bruno Famin. Despite being able to return to the pits, Ocon did not take part in the race restart.
Fortunately for Magnussen, the stewards decided not to investigate the collision with Perez, relieving him of any potential penalties. However, he is now just two penalty points away from a race ban.
Meanwhile, race control also announced that the race would be restarted in a tabloid format with a new start following the original order. This decision resulted in Sainz being reinstated in third place.
A significant 40-minute interval passed before Leclerc led the remaining drivers on another formation lap, leading to a second restart.
There was a change in strategy from the initial start, as the Ferraris and McLarens switched to Hard tires, while Verstappen, George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton opted for the Medium compounds.
Once again, Leclerc made the necessary moves to maintain his lead as he navigated through Turn 1. Piastri also had a clean start and managed to hold onto second place ahead of Sainz.
The order in the points positions remained the same, but Fernando Alonso continued to make progress by overtaking Daniel Ricciardo and securing 12th place.
Russell was closely following Norris’ McLaren during the restart and expressed to his race engineer that this was his best opportunity to overtake his fellow Brit.
However, Russell began to hear warnings from the pit wall and slowed down, falling six seconds behind Norris.
Ocon received a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with his Alpine teammate, Gasly. This penalty would result in a grid drop for the next race in Canada due to Ocon’s retirement.
Sauber struggled to find pace with their C44 car throughout the weekend, with both drivers finding themselves at the back of the pack. As a result, Valtteri Bottas made a pit stop on lap 15.
Bottas took advantage of his new Hard tires and the clear track ahead to set the fastest lap, highlighting strategic management at the front of the race.
Leclerc increased his lap times, creating a five-second gap between the top four drivers. Piastri was no longer a threat within the DRS zone of the Ferrari.
Verstappen expressed his dissatisfaction with the race in his Red Bull cockpit, telling his engineer: “This is really boring. Should have brought my pillow.”
Norris received positive feedback halfway through the race, as McLaren noticed early signs that Sainz’s tires were wearing out. Sainz was aware of the 13.4-second gap between Norris and Russell on lap 34, and the possibility of McLaren making a pit stop to switch to softer tires towards the end. Alonso became an obstacle in 12th place, with Ricciardo, Logan Sargeant, and the Saubers closely following, allowing Stroll to move up. Despite Sainz’s concerns about the possibility of Norris making a pit stop and gaining an advantage with fresher tires, Leclerc was instructed to slow down and bring the leaders closer to the rest of the pack. Stroll had built a 21-second lead over the other Aston Martin car, allowing him to make a pit stop and switch to medium tires in pursuit of Gasly’s 10th place. However, Stroll found himself behind the leading group, meaning he would have to push to challenge Alpine for the final available position. Stroll’s hopes were dashed when he suffered a puncture in the left rear tire while turning early at the Nouvelle chicane and hitting the wall. The Red Bull and Mercedes teams were ready at the pit lane exit, but it was Hamilton who switched to hard tires on lap 51. In response, Red Bull also pitted Verstappen on the following lap, allowing him to maintain sixth place. This decision led Hamilton to question why he was not informed that the out lap was crucial. Further back in the pack, Bottas made the first overtaking move of the race on track by carefully maneuvering past Sargeant on the inside at Mirabeau to secure 13th place. This trend continued as Stroll used his new set of soft tires to successfully overtake Zhou Guanyu at the Nouvelle chicane and Sargeant on the main straight.
Sargeant had difficulties with his tires and made a pit stop to switch to the Medium compound, allowing Zhou to move up a position.
Verstappen quickly closed the gap to Russell on his new Hard tires and closely followed the Mercedes for over 15 remaining laps.
Piastri encountered tire issues towards the end of the race and finished eight seconds behind Leclerc, who was comfortably on his way to a well-deserved victory.
Although the race lacked excitement, Leclerc crossed the finish line to secure his first win in Monte Carlo, marking his third attempt.
Leclerc triumphed on his home turf, achieving his first victory since the Austrian Grand Prix in July 2022. Piastri also had a successful race, securing his first podium of the season.
Sainz ensured Ferrari’s dominance by securing a third-place podium, reducing Red Bull’s advantage in the Constructors’ Championship and ending Norris’ streak of four consecutive podium finishes.
Russell finished in fifth place, leading the Mercedes team, while Verstappen settled for sixth place in his Red Bull. Hamilton finished in seventh position.
Yuki Tsunoda added more points to Red Bull’s tally, solidifying his sixth place in the standings. Alex Albon also contributed to Williams’ points this season.
Ocon took responsibility for the incident involving the two Alpine drivers, but this did not significantly impact the chances of the Enstone team, as Gasly managed to secure tenth place.
© 2024
Portugal wins the Euro Cup in an exciting final against France
In an exciting final full of twists and turns, Portugal won the 2024 Euro Cup by defeating France 2-1. The game, played at Wembley Stadium in London, was marked by a lot of excitement and tense moments.
The Portuguese team started the game in a dominant way, putting pressure on the French team from the beginning. At the 20th minute of the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a beautiful shot from outside the box. However, France did not back down and managed to equalize at 35 minutes with a goal from Kylian Mbappé.
In the second half, both teams sought the winning goal, but it was Portugal who managed to score again. At 70 minutes, Bernardo Silva took advantage of a French defense mistake and scored the goal that secured the title for the Portuguese.
After the final whistle, the Portuguese players celebrated intensely the historic achievement. Cristiano Ronaldo, voted the best player of the competition, proudly and emotionally lifted the trophy. The Portuguese fans, who showed up in full force at the stadium, also celebrated the victory with a lot of excitement.
The victory in the 2024 Euro Cup represents a milestone in the history of Portuguese football. With a talented and determined team, Portugal showed its strength and overcame great adversities to achieve the long-awaited title. Now, the Portuguese celebrate the victory and eagerly await new triumphs in the future.
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