Norris Triumphs in Monaco with Measured Masterclass to Close In on Piastri

Lando Norris wins in Monaco to narrow gap to Piastri in the Formula 1 title fight

There’s a particular kind of magic about the Monaco Grand Prix, a race where glitz meets grit, and where the narrow, winding streets of Monte Carlo reward finesse over firepower. On a bright Sunday in the principality, McLaren’s Lando Norris delivered a performance straight from the textbook—composed, clever, and commanding—as he cruised to a landmark victory at one of Formula 1’s most iconic venues.

It marked his first ever win in Monaco, and his second Grand Prix triumph of the 2025 season, but more importantly, it tightened the pressure in the title race. Norris’ win slashed teammate Oscar Piastri’s championship lead to just three points, while Max Verstappen—once the runaway leader—slipped to 22 points adrift after finishing fourth on a day where Red Bull’s strategy gamble failed to pay off.

Norris leads from the front as new tyre rule poses few problems

McLaren’s Lando Norris locks up approaching the first corner of the Monaco Grand Prix

In the buildup to this year’s Monaco GP, much of the paddock’s attention was focused on a brand-new regulation: all drivers would be required to use three different tyre compounds during the race. The idea? Inject unpredictability and increase the likelihood of action. In theory, it had all the makings of a wild one. In practice, at least at the sharp end of the grid, it turned out to be a surprisingly straightforward affair.

Starting from pole—his first since the opening round in Australia—Norris nailed the getaway and held his lead through the tight first turn at Sainte Devote. From there, he never really looked troubled. The top trio—Norris, Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari, and McLaren’s second bullet, Oscar Piastri—opted for a textbook strategy, starting on medium tyres before switching to hards for two stints, essentially slicing the race into tidy thirds.

Monaco is famously difficult to overtake on, and once the lead was secured, it became a matter of precision and patience. Norris had both in abundance.

Verstappen’s tyre woes leave Red Bull rolling the dice

McLaren’s Lando Norris leads Charles Leclerc through La Rascasse

If Norris’ race was one of control, Verstappen’s was a case of hope and desperation. Red Bull arrived in Monte Carlo with a sub-optimal tyre allocation, leaving their star driver with only one usable set each of the medium and hard compounds. That meant he had to start on hards, switch to mediums, and still find a moment to bolt on the softs—widely acknowledged as the worst compound for longevity.

Knowing the odds were stacked against them in a conventional race, Red Bull ran Verstappen long in the middle stint, keeping him out on used mediums after the leaders had made their final stops. The idea? Gamble on a late-race crash or red flag, which would’ve allowed him a free pit stop and, potentially, a shock victory.

But the Monaco chaos never came.

A few early incidents—a crash for Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto on Lap 1, and Pierre Gasly shunting into the back of Yuki Tsunoda—brought out only a Virtual Safety Car. That was it. No full safety car, no red flag, no lottery. Verstappen finally pitted with just one lap to go, rejoining in fourth and out of the podium positions.

A race of missed opportunities—and near-misses

Pierre Gasly’s Alpine with a broken front wing and a damaged front left tyre

Behind the leading trio, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton had a relatively lonely afternoon in fifth. He gained a position on Fernando Alonso during the first round of stops, as the Spaniard was already nursing engine trouble. Alonso eventually retired, and his point-less run continued in what has been a miserable start to the season—one that echoes his equally barren campaign with McLaren-Honda a decade ago.

Further back, Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar continued to impress in his debut season. The French rookie finished sixth after a clever early pit strategy—two stops in quick succession that allowed him to settle into a rhythm on hard tyres until the flag. His teammate, Liam Lawson, also made the points in eighth, sandwiching Haas’ Esteban Ocon in seventh.

Carlos Sainz scored a solitary point for Williams in tenth, working in tandem with Alex Albon to orchestrate a smart pit strategy that frustrated George Russell. Albon managed the traffic expertly, seemingly slowing the pack just enough to allow both he and Sainz to pit and stay in the top ten.

Russell, stuck in a DRS train and visibly agitated, eventually took matters into his own hands by cutting the Nouvelle Chicane to pass Albon—and then refusing to hand the position back. He assumed he’d get a five-second penalty and could survive it. Instead, the stewards handed him a harsher drive-through, and his afternoon ended with a disappointing 11th.

McLaren closing in as the championship heats up

It’s now two wins in 2025 for Lando Norris, and there’s a growing sense that McLaren are not just contenders—they may be the team to beat. What began as a two-horse race between Piastri and Verstappen has quickly turned into a three-driver title fight, with the papaya orange cars making a serious statement at a circuit that punishes even the slightest lapse.

Norris’ smooth, unflappable drive not only earned him the winner’s trophy but also marked him out as a legitimate title contender. And perhaps more impressively, he’s achieved this against a teammate who’s widely considered one of the sport’s most naturally gifted young drivers.

“It was a perfect weekend,” Norris said post-race. “Pole, the win, no mistakes. And to do it here, in Monaco—it’s pretty special. The team gave me everything I needed. We just have to keep this momentum going now.”

What’s next?

The Formula 1 circus rolls on to Spain next weekend, where the final race of the European triple-header will take place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. It’ll be the last time the venue hosts the Grand Prix before the event moves to Madrid in 2026—a significant shift in one of the sport’s traditional calendar fixtures.

With just three points separating Piastri and Norris, and Verstappen desperate to bounce back, the Spanish GP promises to be a critical battleground.

As McLaren edge closer to Red Bull in the Constructors’ standings, and the driver title race remains wide open, one thing is clear: the 2025 season is turning into a classic. And Monaco, once again, provided the sparkle and the spectacle worthy of its legend.