Monaco – Race 1: Victory for Rowland, cold shower for Leclerc
Cruel disappointment for Charles Leclerc, forced to retire while he was leading his home race. It is therefore Oliver Rowland who takes advantage to win the race.
The first F2 race in Monaco took place under a radiant sun and a temperature of 24°C. The start was delayed by one lap due to the simultaneous stalling of Antonio Fuoco’s Prema and Sean Gelael.
Charles Leclerc, in front of his home crowd, was able to maintain the advantage of his pole position and hold onto the lead at the first turn. However, Alex Albon had made a better start but, being on the outside, had to give way at Sainte-Devote.
The Monegasque then undertook to increase the gap, chaining the best laps in the race in order to extend the lead. But the inevitable safety car made its appearance on the 8th lap when Nicolas Latifi’s DAMS stopped in the middle of the tunnel due to an engine problem. At that moment, ART attempted a strategic move by bringing Alex Albon to a pit stop. The Thai driver found himself in 7th place but still leading among those with one pit stop.
On the 11th lap, the safety car pulled away. Charles Leclerc then began to widen the gap against the competition, especially compared to Alex Albon, his main threat. His opponents were powerless to stop him from moving forward, as by the 20th lap, he already had a significant lead over Oliver Rowland in second place, and especially over Alex Albon with a 25-second lead at the finish line.
At the moment Louis Deletraz and Visoiu collided before the Loews hairpin, the race leader dived into the pit lane to make his own stop. However, the collision caused another intervention from the safety car, which had significant consequences: while Charles Leclerc was able to come out ahead of Alex Albon, Oliver Rowland, Artem Markelov, and Nobuharu Matsushita took advantage of the safety car to exit the pits just ahead of the local hero.
He finds himself in fourth place, but things do not improve when the safety car pulls out on the 25th lap: he has to go through the pits again because his front left wheel is not properly fastened! But when he rejoins the race, things do not get better and the vibrations remain significant. He will therefore be forced to retire while he thought he was on his way to victory at home.
Far from his concerns, Oliver Rowland was able to maintain his lead until the checkered flag, just ahead of Artem Markelov and Nobuharu Matsushita. The British driver, supported by Renault, thus wins his first race in the category and, above all, comes back to just three points behind the big loser of the day.
Complete race ranking.
1. Oliver Rowland (DAMS)
2. Artem Markelov (RUSSIAN TIME)
3. Nobuharu Matsushita (ART Grand Prix)
4. Alexander Albon (ART Grand Prix)
5. Luca Ghiotto (RUSSIAN TIME)
6. Gustav Malja (Racing Engineering)
7. Nyck de Vries (Rapax)
8. Johnny Cecotto (Rapax)
9. Jordan King (MP Motorsport)
10. Sergio Canamasas (Trident)
11. Antonio Fuoco (PREMA Racing)
12. Ralph Boschung (Campos Racing)
13. Sean Gelael (Pertamina Arden)
14. Nabil Jeffri (Trident)
15. Louis Delétraz (Racing Engineering)
From our special correspondent in Monaco.
