Hometown hero Charles Leclerc wins Monaco Grand Prix

Hometown hero Charles Leclerc ended his Monaco curse by winning a processional race that Max Verstappen claimed was "so boring" he wish he had "brought my pillow".

After near-misses in 2021 and 2022, Leclerc kept McLaren's Oscar Piastri at bay to take his first victory on home soil and reduce the championship gap to Verstappen.

Leclerc’s Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz finished third, one place ahead of British driver Lando Norris.

George Russell crossed the line in fifth for Mercedes with Verstappen sixth and Lewis Hamilton seventh. The top 10 finished in the same order they started.

The race had started in explosive fashion when Sergio Perez was fortunate to walk away from a staggering 160mph crash on the opening lap.

Perez, 16th on the grid, hit the barrier as the field made their way up the hill from Sainte Devote.

The Mexican was sent into the wall after Kevin Magnussen's front-left wheel made contract with the rear-right of Perez's Red Bull.

Perez’s Red Bull machinery was destroyed on impact, with all but one of the Mexican’s four wheels ripping off his car. Perez also wiped out Magnussen’s Haas team-mate Nico Hulkenberg in the devastating three-car pile-up.

Mercifully, the trio were able to walk away unscathed. Perez was not even required to head to the medical centre. But with debris scattered across the track, the race was suspended.

The stewards noted the incident but elected to apportion no blame.

Elsewhere, on a chaotic first lap, Sainz, who started third, suffered a puncture in a collision with Oscar Piastri and fell down the order, while the two Alpine drivers were also involved in an embarrassing intra-team collision.

Esteban Ocon took a desperate lunge on Pierre Gasly through Portier and, in doing so, made contact