Charles Leclerc has signed another multi-season contract extension to retain his seat at Ferrari. The length of the contract has not been revealed publicly, but Leclerc’s last multi-year contract was signed in 2024. Leclerc has been with the Italian team since 2019, having made his debut with Alfa Romeo a year earlier. Ferrari has shown steady improvement over recent seasons, with Leclerc finishing runner-up in the championship in 2022 and the team currently sitting as one of the top three teams on the grid.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix will remain on the F1 calendar until at least 2037, signing a ten-year contract extension. This is the venue’s first long-term contract, initially joining the calendar in 2023 under a three-year deal that was eventually extended to five. The race is said to have a great economic impact on the area, generating more than $43 million in tax revenue last year and delivering an estimated $3.2 billion of economic impact for the region since its inception.
Ralf Schumacher has married his partner Etienne Bousquet-Cassagne. Schumacher, the brother of legendary Michael Schumacher, raced in F1 from 1997 to 2007 with Jordan, Williams, and Toyota, earning a total of six race wins. He met former French politician Bousquet-Cassagne in Monaco in 2022, officially announcing their relationship in 2024.
Ferrari led the way in the first free practice session of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, with Charles Leclerc setting the time to beat. Due to its low-speed nature, it was not surprising that Ferrari was strong here. Red Bull appeared to also have strong pace, with Max Verstappen setting a time worthy of P3, but Isack Hadjar’s day was cut short due to an accident. He suffered some oversteer in the swimming pool chicane, slamming into the barriers. Fernando Alonso was also lucky to escape any major damage in the closing minutes, as he locked up exiting the tunnel and damaged his front wing. This brought out the second and final red flag of the session. Mercedes finished in P4 and P5 ahead of the McLarens and Audi, which seem to be quite competitive around this circuit.
Ferrari continued its reign of dominance around Monaco, this time with Lewis Hamilton leading Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen was again the third fastest ahead of the Mercedes duo, this time with George Russell being the quicker of the pair. Isack Hadjar bounced back to P6 after an excellent effort from his team to get the car repaired from his FP1 crash. Oscar Piastri was in P7, but teammate Lando Norris had his session cut short by an electrical issue. Audi continued their strong showing to be P8 and P9 by the end of the day. Sergio Perez brought out the session’s only red flag, with a small brake fire in the closing minutes.
Kimi Antonelli usurped Ferrari in the final free practice session of the weekend, outpacing Charles Leclerc by more than 0.3s. Leclerc had complained about brake issues in the closing half of the session. Valtteri Bottas had a brake issue, similar to his teammate the day prior, pointing out a potential flaw with Cadillac’s brakes. Oliver Bearman brought out the session’s only red flag, spinning into the barriers while overtaking a slow-moving George Russell in Massenet. Max Verstappen rounded out the top five behind Lewis Hamilton and Russell.
Kimi Antonelli remained quickest in qualifying to earn pole position. Charles Leclerc was fastest in Q1, which was halted after Gabriel Bortoleto broke his suspension at the Nouvelle chicane. It was unfortunate for Audi, since Bortoleto had made it to Q2, but could not compete due to damage. Max Verstappen was quickest in Q2, but had to settle for second-best in Q3. Leclerc, having abandoned his previous laps, was desperate to set a quick time. He was running strong on his final effort, but clipped the barrier at the exit of turn 12, leaving him P4 behind teammate Lewis Hamilton. George Russell, who has been having a rough time of it in the past few races, couldn’t do better than P6 behind Isack Hadjar, but still in front of the two McLarens.
Kimi Antonelli converted pole to victory on Sunday, earning his first win at Monaco. His main challenger, Max Verstappen, suffered a mechanical failure off the starting grid, putting him out of the race early on. A gap quickly built out front, and Antonelli began lapping the field early. Teammate George Russell was stuck behind Isack Hadjar, who was nursing a power unit issue early on. After jumping Hadjar in the pit cycle, Russell was then stuck behind Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris. Norris was instructed to hold up Russell, hoping it would give Oscar Piastri a good position when he made a pit stop. This lasted on a few laps, as Norris retired with a power unit issue. A late-race safety car started a dramatic chain of events. Lance Stroll had understeered into the barrier at the final corner. Charles Leclerc did the same thing on the restart, prompting a red flag to make some track surface repairs. The race saw many penalties for speeding in the pit lane, including for Russell. Drivers who pitted under the first safety car served their penalties, but Russell did not, earning himself a drive-through penalty that effectively ended his race. Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar stood on the podium alongside Antonelli, but there was a threat of Hadjar losing the position due to a post-race investigation for unauthorized repairs during the red flag. Ultimately, the stewards were happy that the team had reverted any changes before the restart. Sergio Perez was not as lucky, as the Mexican lost Cadillac’s first point after being penalized for starting out of his grid slot on the late-race standing restart. Click here to read a full summary of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Racing action will resume in a week, as the teams and drivers head to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on June 14.
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
