Sergio Perez holds off Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen for first win of season at dramatic Monaco GP

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez took the chequered flag at a rain-affected Monaco Grand Prix to win the third race of his career, and take victory at the famous venue for the first time. The initial start of the race was aborted by a red flag. As the drivers got underway for their formation lap behind the safety car after a twenty minute delay, race control decided to call a halt to proceedings due to the treacherous track conditions.

Ad/> After forty-five minutes, and much deliberating, the race finally got back underway behind the safety car with a rolling start. Three laps later, the green flag signalled that the drivers could finally go racing. Monaco Grand PrixLeclerc takes pole as Hamilton and Verstappen struggle at MonacoYESTERDAY AT 16:37 Charles Leclerc started his home race on pole position after a superb showing in qualifying on Saturday afternoon, and the Monegasque driver initially led for the first part of the race.

He then pitted for the intermediate tyres after lap 18, with Carlos Sainz staying out on the full wets. However, the dynamic of the race changed after lap 23, as the teams tried to figure out when the crossover point was to switch from the intermediate tyres to slicks as the track dried out. Ferrari opted to bring Sainz in first to change to the hard compound, and in a last-minute call, also chose to box Leclerc behind him.

That call cost the Ferrari driver dearly, as Sergio Perez then took the lead of the race on the next lap. The Mexican overcut Sainz by staying out a lap longer on the full wets. Max Verstappen also got ahead of Leclerc and into 3rd, which could prove crucial in the Championship battle.