The Monaco Grand Prix was abruptly brought to a standstill after a spectacular crash involving Sergio Perez and the two Haas cars on just the opening lap. The incident occurred as Ferrari's Charles Leclerc sped away comfortably from pole position, leading the race.

As the cars approached Ste Devote, Carlos Sainz made a move to overtake McLaren driver Oscar Piastri. However, Sainz's attempt went awry as he slid off at Casino Square, possibly due to a puncture. Meanwhile, Perez's hopes vanished when he collided with Kevin Magnussen while trying to squeeze through a narrow gap just before Massenet. The crash debris spanned across the track, ensnaring Nico Hulkenberg in the chaos.

The enormous impact left all three cars skidding across the circuit before coming to rest in the barriers at Massenet. The track was left strewn with wreckage and debris, forcing the race authorities to red-flag the event.

Following an initial investigation, the stewards have decided not to pursue further action regarding the crash. Despite accumulating 10 penalty points on his superlicence, Magnussen will not face an automatic ban for the upcoming race in Canada.

Additionally, there was a separate incident involving Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly at the Nouvelle chicane. Ocon attempted an overtaking maneuver, resulting in a collision that sent his Alpine car airborne before it forcefully landed back on the track.

As the race was halted, the leaders, including Leclerc, Piastri, and Lando Norris, were given permission to change to the hard tires during the red flag phase. They will now attempt to complete the race without making any pit stops. Sainz, on the other hand, will start the race restart from third position at 3:44 pm local time.

The FIA made the ruling based on the fact that not all cars had passed the first sector line when the red flag was deployed. Sauber's Zhou Guanyu was held up by the Perez and Haas crash, and he was still making his way to the end of the opening section of the lap when the incident occurred.

The unexpected halt to the race has left fans eagerly awaiting the restart, where intense competition is expected to resume on the challenging streets of Monaco.