Charles Leclerc wins home Monaco Grand Prix for first time after dramatic crash in first lap mars race

(CNN) —& It was a case of third time lucky for& Charles Leclerc& who finally won his home Monaco& Grand Prix& on Sunday, after starting the race in pole position in two previous editions. The Monégasque driver led from start to finish, crossing the finish-line over seven seconds ahead of second-placed Oscar Piastri. Ferrari’s Leclerc paid an emotional tribute to his late father after the race, telling broadcaster Sky Sports that he was thinking about him as he drove towards the finish. “He has given everything for me to be here and it was a dream of ours for me to race here and win here, so it’s unbelievable,” he said. Leclerc also had to survive a dramatic opening lap in which a fifth of the field crashed, causing the race to be red-flagged before a lengthy delay, during which marshals cleared debris off the track and rebuilt sections of the barriers. The chaos began when Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz punctured just after the start following contact with Piastri and had to use a run-off. Then, in a separate incident, Kevin Magnussen clipped Sergio Pérez while trying to overtake him and the Red Bull driver bounced along the walls, his car...