Ferrari throw away historic Charles Leclerc victory after painful blunder
Charles Leclerc was denied a famous victory at home, in Monaco, four years ago today, 29 May, due to strategic errors by Ferrari.
Four years ago today, Charles Leclerc was poised to celebrate what could have been one of the most poignant victories in recent Formula 1 history. Instead, the Monaco-born driver found himself stranded in fourth place for Ferrari as a string of strategic missteps from the pit wall ruined his home race.
The setup for the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, staged on May 29, saw Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz locking out Ferrari’s front row, with the Scuderia in pole position for a memorable one-two on a circuit that traditionally rewards pace and precision. The event began under heavy rain, forcing the start to be delayed and the field to begin behind the safety car on a wet and treacherous street circuit. Leclerc seized the moment, guiding the Ferrari with control and confidence as the track gradually began to dry, signaling a potential breakthrough for him at a track he has always cherished.
What followed, however, was a rapid unraveling of Ferrari’s race plan as the conditions evolved. As the track dried, Red Bull pounced first, bringing Sergio Perez in at the end of lap 16 to switch to intermediate tires in an early bid to gain track position. Ferrari, in contrast, wavered. The strategy team was considering a bold option: skip the intermediates altogether and pit Leclerc straight from full wet to slick tires. It was a decisive gamble designed to gain the undercut and reclaim the lead, but Ferrrari ultimately reconsidered and elected to pit Leclerc for intermediate tires on lap 18. By that point, Perez had already benefited from the early pit, and Leclerc rejoined the track in a position behind the Mexican driver, losing the advantage he had built up earlier and surrendering the race lead.
The situation deteriorated further on lap 21 as the track showed a clear dry line. Ferrari attempted to double-stack both drivers, switching to slick tires in a move that carried significant risk. Leclerc’s pit radio went from calm to chaotic: his engineer initially urged him to box, then, amid a surge of urgency, instructed him to stay out. The timing proved catastrophic. Leclerc exited the pit lane behind Sainz, piling on additional time lost in the process and dropping behind Max Verstappen into fourth place.
The moment was sharpened by Leclerc’s frustration, which erupted over the team radio. He later described the race as “a freaking disaster,” a candid reflection that underscored the emotional toll of seeing a driver’s home crowd’s hopes dashed by misjudged calls from the pit wall. Perez went on to win Monaco that day, with Sainz finishing second and Verstappen third, while Leclerc watched from a distance as another Monaco heartbreak gnawed at him. It was a home race that promised so much yet delivered little in the way of personal glory.
Yet the chapter would later take a turn. Two years after that frustrating Sunday, Leclerc would finally conquer Monaco in 2024, claiming victory from pole position and becoming the first Monegasque driver to win the race since Louis Chiron in 1931. The breakthrough finally ended the long-standing emotional tension tied to Monaco for Leclerc, providing a triumphant moment that had long eluded him on the island of his birth.
Looking back, the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix remains a stark reminder of how quickly a race can pivot around strategy decisions, pit-stop timing, and the unforgiving nature of elite motorsport. It was a day when a home hero’s best efforts were eclipsed by miscalculated calls, turning what should have been a coronation into a painful memory. For Leclerc, it underscored the high-stakes pressure of representing Ferrari on a stage where history weighs heavily, and it set the stage for a later, more triumphant return to the top step of Monaco.
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