Piastri interrupts Ferrari party with second in Monaco

Oscar Piastri matched his best result in a full Formula One grand prix as he finished second to hometown hero Charles Leclerc in Monaco, denying Ferrari a one-two finish.

The 23-year-old Australian outpaced Lerclerc's teammate Carlos Sainz by nine seconds to claim his first podium of the season, finishing about eight seconds behind Leclerc in the prestigious race on Monday AEST.

Leclerc won from pole position for his first F1 victory in nearly two years, becoming the first native Monegasque to win a Monaco Grand Prix in the world championship era.

The Melbourne-born Piastri, who started from second on the grid, now sits sixth in the overall standings.

"The pace at the beginning was incredibly slow but it's been a great weekend for the team," the McLaren driver said.

"I feel like we've been very strong for the last few weekends but didn't really have the result to show for it, so it's nice to have a podium.

"Charles has been mega all weekend. I think it would have taken something pretty special in quali to out-do them.

"The opportunity was almost there but it would have taken probably the best lap of my life. I'm happy with P2, a good result for the team again … very, very happy."

Piastri's McLaren teammate Lando Norris was fourth.

Championship leader Max Verstappen started and finished sixth for Red Bull, whose other driver Sergio Perez went out of the race after a big first-lap crash.

The crash also took out Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, and caused the race to be interrupted by a red flag for 40 minutes. The drivers were not hurt.

Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton was seventh, with Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls), Alex Albon (Williams) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine) completing the top 10.  It was the same order as the starting grid, reflecting Monaco's reputation as the hardest track to overtake in F1.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo, was 12th and is 14th in the overall standings.

Leclerc was on pole for the third time in four years but had previously never finished on the podium at his home race.

His first win since Austria in July 2022 took his career tally to six, all with Ferrari.

"Tonight's going to be a big night," he told his team.

A Monaco victory felt extra special for him, having grown up in a flat overlooking the start-finish line watching cars zooming past below.

"No words can explain that. It was the race that made me want to be a Formula 1 driver one day," Leclerc, 26, said.

"Seeing so many of my friends on the balcony, so many people I know. It means a huge amount to me."

The last 15 laps were the most difficult as the realisation of how much winning would mean dawned on him.

"I must say I was thinking about my dad," Leclerc said of his late father.

"It was a dream of ours for me to race here and win, so it's unbelievable."

- with AAP

with AAP