We had to slow down Leclerc in Monaco race, says Vasseur

F1 Grand Prix, GP Monaco, Monte Carlo Circuit

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur conceded that one of the main challenged for his team was to control the tactical race in Monaco and slow race winner Charles Leclerc down in order to maintain the gaps that were needed to keep the race under control.

Charles Leclerc has finally shaken off his Monaco taboo, winning his home race at his sixth attempt. He is the 37th driver to win on the streets of Monaco and the seventh Ferrari driver to win here. He is also the first Monegasque to do so since the start of the Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship in 1950, although Louis Chiron, also a Monegasque won here 93 years ago, well before the creation of the World Championship.

On the other side of the garage, Carlos Sainz had a much more challenging day behind the wheel of his SF-24 as he suffered a puncture following a slight contact with the McLaren of Oscar Piastri. However, the Spaniard could regain his starting position after a red-flag period, and went on to finish Round 8 of the 2024 F1 season in an impressive third place.

Speaking of his team's performance in the Monaco Grand Prix, Fred Vasseur was happy to see Charles Leclerc take his first victory on home soil following several disastrous outcomes in the past. The Frenchman conceded that the main

"It was the perfect weekend and one to remember for Charles, having had a couple of tough races in the past here in Monaco. He was flying from lap 1 in FP1 and he did the perfect job. The race itself was a bit strange because after the red flag, we had to manage 77 laps on the same set of tyres.

"He was always in control of the situation and a couple of times, he asked us if he could push more, but we couldn't give him green light. Carlos also drove a very solid race and played an important part in this win, helping us control the gaps behind, doing a fantastic job for the team.

"At the moment, we are all pushing very hard, there is a very good dynamic in the whole team with everyone working in the right direction. We mustn’t get carried away, we have to stay focused, but this win is a huge motivation for everyone, at the track and also of course at the factory where everyone has done a great job.

"This was a very special day, you could see the emotion from all the team members around the podium. Now we must already think about doing a good job again, a better one even, in Canada.”