Race start: Red flag drama in Monaco as Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri lock wheels, Sergio Perez and the Haas drivers battle it out, and the Alps collide

It was a very dramatic start to the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, with red flags being raised just seconds later due to multiple incidents at the front and rear of the field.

While pole-sitter Charles Leclerc managed to get off the line through Saint-Devot, it was at Turn 1 that Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz went side-by-side and collided with wheels.

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Sainz suffered a puncture on his front left after making contact with the Piastri floor, meaning he skidded to a halt on the exit of Massenet, just as another multi-car accident occurred during the climb to Beau Rivage.

While trying to make a move on Sergio Perez, Kevin Magnussen tagged the back of the Red Bull, sending them both into the wall at high speed, and also leaving fellow Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg with nowhere to go.

Replays then showed further drama as Esteban Ocon attempted to force his way past Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly at Portier, with the former briefly flying into the air while the latter expressed his anger at the lunge on the radio.

As debris was scattered all over the track and the barriers needed to be repaired, Race Control issued a red flag and sent the remaining cars back to the pits, where they would be free to change tires.

Click on the video player above to live the start of the race in Monaco.