Home hero Charles Leclerc conceded that all hope of winning the Monaco Grand Prix was lost after failing to secure pole position in qualifying for Sunday's race. (As It Happened | Full F1 Coverage)
Leclerc finished second to Lando Norris at the iconic street circuit, dashing hopes of becoming the first driver to win consecutive races in Monte Carlo since 2015.
The Monegasque had the opportunity to overtake Norris heading into the first corner as the McLaren driver locked up, though he was able to recover and maintain his lead.
Leclerc continued to pressure the Briton following the second round of mandatory pit stops, but he was unable to pass and was forced to settle for second at his home race.
He did, however, add more points to his season total, moving up to 79 and within striking distance of Mercedes' George Russell, who is fourth in the drivers' standings.
Leclerc thought he had done enough to secure pole on Saturday with a fine drive, but was beaten by a lap-record time from Norris that dropped him to second on the grid.
"At the end of the day, we lost the race yesterday. We should have done a better job, Lando [Norris] did a better job this weekend and he deserves the win," Leclerc said.Â
"On my side, I achieved my childhood dream last year, not this year. I did not expect this, I thought being in the top 10 was going to be a challenge and in the end we are second.
"It's been a good weekend overall, but I wish I won."
The FIA introduced mandatory two-stops for this year in a bid to bring more excitement to a race where overtaking is notoriously difficult.Â
McLaren pulled the trigger on lap 20 to bring race leader Norris in for his first pit stop, with Oscar Piastri following his team-mate as Leclerc was pitted by Ferrari three laps later.Â
Piastri was brought into the pits for his second stop on lap 49, with Ferrari responding to McLaren's strategy by bringing in Leclerc, with Norris pitting one lap later for hard tyres.Â
"It was good from inside the car because, before that, it was a bit boring. I had to leave a gap for Lando otherwise I would have hit everything," Leclerc said of the new rule.
"When I saw that Max [Verstappen] was playing the long game, I guess he was waiting for a red flag 바카라“ that helped me put more pressure on Lando."
