It caused an immediate puncture to three-time race winner Sainz and forced him into the pits, while the impact also damaged the underpinning and floor of Piastri's McLaren.
However, the Melburnian didn't have to wait long for some running repairs. Haas' Magnussen made contact with Red Bull's Pérez at around 240km/h heading into the 'Beau Rivage' from the first lap, causing a horror crash at the back of the field that forced a red flag and a stop the race of more than 40. minutes.
Magnussen's teammate Hulkenberg was also caught up in the carnage as an innocent bystander and forced to retire.
Sergio Perez's red bull's wrinkled shoulder is removed from the track. Miraculously, he walked away from his terror unscathed.Credit: Getty Images
And although the cars appeared to be torn to pieces, all three drivers emerged completely unscathed, an ode to the advances in safety at the pinnacle of motorsport.
Race marshals later declared the impact “a racing incident,” without assigning blame. They have come to the same conclusion because of the incident between Sainz, who recovered long after the restart, and Piastri.
The Monaco circuit is as famous for its lack of overtaking as the mega yachts that line the coast. Its relentless course demands total concentration as well as nerves of steel, and Alpine's Esteban Ocon showed neither as he collected team-mate Pierre Gasly, also in the first lap of the race. As Gasly continued, Ocon was forced to retire.
“The only DRS [overtaking] The area here is as useful as a chocolate fire guard”
Legendary F1 analyst Martin Brundle
And yet, incredibly, his was the last car forced out of the race.
After the restart, shortly before 23.50 AEST, Leclerc again had an ideal start and held off Piastri and Sainz in a strategic masterclass.
While legendary F1 analyst and former driver Martin Brundle was at times exasperated by the lack of advancements in the race, at one point he said: “The only DRS [overtaking] The area here is as useful as a chocolate firewall”, even he was captivated by the “go slow” strategy used in stages by Ferrari.
Picturesque Monaco was the scene of an eye-opening first lap.Credit: Getty Images
This was done not only to preserve Leclerc's tyres, but also to keep the other leaders of the field, including Piastri, Sainz and Norris, bunched up behind him so they could not afford the gamble of a secondary stop to change plus nine faster rubber
As the race wore on, it became clear that Leclerc had all the answers anyway, winning his first home grand prix and breaking the Monaco curse.
Early in the race, on lap seven, in a section of the race dedicated to management (the cars, their tires and their fuel loads), McLaren confirmed to Piastri over the team radio that the his car had been damaged in the incident. with Sainz, but at the same time it gave him the confidence to keep pushing.
Piastri, sporting an Ayrton Senna tribute livery on his McLaren, finished seven seconds adrift of Leclerc.Credit: AP
“Oscar, we see the impact of the damage,” said the radio message, broadcast by Sky F1. “[But] The aerodynamic balance seems to be reasonable at least.”
After the race, Piastri was full of praise for Leclerc's win, but added: “The pace at the start [of the race] it was incredibly slow.”
However, despite the tire conservation battle in the race, Piastri was still thrilled with his second place.
“It's been a great weekend, and it's nice to finally put a result on the table,” he said. “It's a pleasure to have a podium, and what a better place [than Monaco].
“I'm happy with P2, a good result for the team again. [I’m] very, very happy.”
Triple world champion Max Verstappen was unable to recover from an uncharacteristically poor qualifying performance, finishing sixth.
The procession-like closing stages of the race prompted some commentators to call for a future rethink to allow drivers to switch to their preferred choice of tires during a red flag race stop.
Piastri's compatriot and eight-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo finished 12th.
