Lando Norris translated pole position into a commanding victory at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix last Sunday, May 25 as he battled worthy opponents and even his fellow teammate.
Strategic Scramble Ensues
Norris was able to beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in a race shaped by strategy, traffic, and the newly introduced two-stop rule.
Max Verstappen briefly led late on due to an alternate tyre approach but slipped to fourth after a last-minute pit stop.
Despite a significant lock-up into Turn 1, Norris handled the restart phases and strategic variables to secure his second win of the season, closing the gap in the standings. Leclerc kept the pressure on early and again late when Verstappen slowed the leading trio, but had to accept second, while Piastri, who now holds just a three-point lead over Norris in the championship, settled for third.
Verstappen opted for a longer first stint that briefly handed him the lead. But his late stop on the penultimate lap saw him rejoin behind the McLarens and Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton, after a grid penalty for impeding Verstappen, drove a solitary race to claim fifth.
Rookie Isack Hadjar impressed with sixth, ahead of Haas’ Esteban Ocon and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson. Williams secured a double points finish as Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz came home ninth and tenth, narrowly holding off George Russell. The Mercedes driver was penalized for an illegal pass.
Ollie Bearman rebounded from a ten-place penalty to finish 12th, followed by Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto. Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg, and Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the order ahead of the final classified driver, Kimi Antonelli. Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly were the only retirees.
Early Incidents and Pit Strategies Unfold
Norris launched cleanly and, despite a dramatic double lock-up, maintained the lead ahead of a fast-starting Leclerc. Piastri and Verstappen slotted in behind, with no changes in the top 10. A Virtual Safety Car was triggered early as Bortoleto ran off at Portier. He returned to the pits, joined by Tsunoda, Gasly, and Bearman for tyre changes.
Racing resumed on Lap 4 with Norris slowly pulling away. More drama followed on Lap 9 when Gasly collided with Tsunoda into the Nouvelle Chicane, retiring from the race.
As the field dodged debris, Verstappen attacked Piastri but was rebuffed. The stewards opted not to intervene.
Hulkenberg and Colapinto pitted soon after under green conditions. Hadjar, who had risen to fifth, stopped for softs and rejoined ahead of Lawson. Alonso and Ocon pitted in response. Bearman had already fulfilled his two-stop requirement by this point.
McLaren Maintains Control as Verstappen Extends
Hamilton switched to hard on Lap 19 and emerged ahead of Hadjar. Norris pitted shortly after from the lead and rejoined in fourth with a clear track to build pace. Piastri then pitted to undercut Leclerc but was hindered by a slow stop. Leclerc pitted on Lap 22 and rejoined between the McLarens. Verstappen, extending his stint, held a 10-second buffer over Norris.
Russell tailed Sainz near the top 10. Verstappen finally stopped on Lap 28 for mediums, giving Norris back the lead. Ocon, Colapinto, and Bortoleto also stopped.
By halfway, Norris led Leclerc by six seconds, with Piastri five more behind and Verstappen close to the Australian.
Tension Builds Late as Traffic and Penalties Erupt
Albon and Lawson made their second stops around Lap 41, keeping positions in the lower points. With Alonso out due to a mechanical issue, Sainz moved into the top 10. Williams used clever tactics as Albon let Sainz through and held up rivals, aiding his teammate. Russell and Antonelli grew agitated, with the former calling Albon’s pace “dangerously slow”.
Piastri triggered another round of stops on Lap 49. Leclerc and Norris followed. Verstappen, again, opted to extend. The Russell-Albon duel boiled over when Russell cut the chicane to avoid a collision and was later penalized.
With under 20 laps remaining, Verstappen still led, but Norris and Leclerc closed in. Stuck behind Verstappen, Norris radioed: “Where’s Oscar? I need him to put Charles under some pressure.”
Eventually, Verstappen boxed, releasing the leading trio to the finish. Norris capped his win with the fastest lap and celebrated his first Monaco triumph since Australia. “Monaco, baby!”
“It feels amazing,” Norris said in an interview released in the F1 racing website. “It’s a long, gruelling race, but good fun. [At] the last corner I was a little bit nervous with Charles close behind and Max ahead, but we won in Monaco. This is what I dreamed of when I was a kid, so I achieved one of my dreams!”
Up next, the F1 grid heads to Spain for the Barcelona Grand Prix from May 30 to June 1.
