British media slam Monaco GP: 'You see more overtaking on the school run'
F1 News
On Sunday, Charles Leclerc secured his first home victory in Monaco, after the Ferrari driver was able to convert his pole to a win, and remained at the front for all 78 laps. With the gap between Red Bull and Ferrari becoming increasingly smaller, a championship battle could be on the cards. Here is how the British media reacted.
BBC
The British broadcaster said: "Leclerc has seemed destined to win this race for a long time - but somehow fate stood in his way for a while. As it turned out, it served to make the moment even sweeter when it finally arrived." They also highlighted how Leclerc "held his nerve," particularly after the significant crash between Sergio Perez and the two Haas drivers in the first lap.
For Leclerc, his win was one of redemption: "Leclerc’s win was a story of redemption for the 26-year-old, who twice before had taken pole position at Monaco only for the win to slip through his fingers. This time, neither team nor driver made a mistake after Leclerc’s blistering pace had had secured pole, before Ferrari planned a race centred on managing from the front."
The Mirror
The British tabloid touched on the emotional side of the Ferrari driver's win, and once again emphasised the redemption narrative: "His roar of delight could be heard even over the celebratory horns of the megayachts anchored in Port Hercule. It was made of equal parts relief and delight. The curse was broken and Charles Leclerc was finally a Monaco Grand Prix winner. He punched the air twice before diving into the army of Ferrari mechanics who had gathered to pay tribute to their driver."
Sky Sports F1
For Sky, they noted how the team effort of both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz meant the two were able to block a McLaren victory from either Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris who finished second and fourth on Sunday. "Leclerc initially drove relatively slowly to save his tyres and keep the field together, in order to stop Piastri, or Norris in fourth, from trying an undercut."
"As the race went on, Piastri couldn't put as much pressure on the Ferrari driver, who cruised away in the closing stages to win by 7.1 seconds. Sainz faced pressure from Norris throughout the race in the battle for third but managed to hold off the British driver and secure his fourth podium of the year."
The Daily Mail
Finally, whilst The Daily Mail labelled Leclerc's first lap as "banging", the tabloid also agreed with Max Verstappen who found the race rather boring: "For Max Verstappen, the world champion stranded in sixth, the monotony was too much. ‘F*** me!’ he exclaimed. This is really boring. I should have brought my pillow.’ Fair point: the top 10 started and finished in the same order, which has never happened before in Formula One history. So, another rotten race afternoon for the image of the Monaco showpiece, on a track too small for the juggernaut cars of today. You’ve seen more overtaking on the school run."