Monaco Grand Prix 2025

Race Highlights

• Lando Norris achieved a perfect weekend, taking pole position, the race win, and the fastest lap on the final tour
• Charles Leclerc finished second in his home race after a close battle with Norris, while Oscar Piastri completed a double-podium for McLaren in third
• Max Verstappen finished fourth after a strategic gamble to delay his final pit stop in hopes of a late safety car failed to materialize
• Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson secured their best-ever Formula 1 results, finishing sixth and eighth respectively for Racing Bulls
• George Russell received a rare drive-through penalty for a “deliberate” illegal overtake on Alexander Albon by cutting the Nouvelle Chicane
• Lewis Hamilton executed a successful overcut strategy to climb from seventh to fifth place for Ferrari
• Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly were the race’s only retirements, due to an engine failure and an opening-lap collision respectively

Race Summary

Norris successfully defended his lead from a charging Leclerc at the start, maintaining his position through the narrow streets of Monte Carlo. The first lap was marked by a collision at the Fairmont Hairpin between Gabriel Bortoleto and Kimi Antonelli, which triggered a Virtual Safety Car and prompted several backmarkers to take their first mandatory pit stop early to find clean air.

Strategic “blocking” tactics became the central theme of the afternoon, with drivers like Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz Jr. intentionally holding up the field to allow their teammates to pit without losing track position. This manipulation was a direct response to the new two-stop requirement, as the narrow circuit made organic overtaking nearly impossible—there was only one successful on-track pass recorded during the entire race.

In the final stages, Max Verstappen led for several laps by staying out on old tires, hoping for a race neutralisation. However, no safety car appeared, and he was forced to pit on lap 77, handing the lead back to Norris. The victory allowed Norris to close within three points of his teammate Oscar Piastri in the Drivers’ Championship standings.