With two compulsory stops, Formula 1 wanted to make the classic in Monaco more exciting and set off the usual procession trip. F1 expert Christian Danner and RTL-data analyst Steffen Kosuch analyze a hope that has only been partly fulfilled, also because the makers have expected too much from the start.
In your sport.de-Bebrief to Monte Carlo explains Danner and Kosuch which team used the new rule excellently and which driver was particularly convincing as a lone fighter.
Finally! After several weekends with at least one goat, Lando Norris once again made a flawless weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix and won the victory that is so important for him. The key to this was the pole position on Saturday when the Brit ran away with a track record in the guideline labyrinth.
Since Norris also won the start on Sunday, he was able to control the race from the top. He did not let himself be disturbed by tactical games of the competition.
The home GP was disappointing for top favorite Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari star had driven best time in all training session. When it came to the sausage in qualifying, Leclerc was the decisive tenth too slow. The local hero paid a high price for this, because overtaking on the route was out of the question on Sunday. So only second remained.
Video: The myth on the trail of Ferrari
Photo: © sport.de
The number in the principality on Saturday was also running for Oscar Piatri. There was no more than third place in the hunt – and then not in the race.
Bitter for the Australian: This is exactly the lost points in the World Cup fight with stable rival Norris.
Max Verstappen in Monte Carlo did not have anything to do with the victory or the podium. The Dutch was already significantly behind the McLaren and both Ferrari in the qualification. Red Bull’s strategists tried to find one or the other gap in traffic on Sunday, but did not manage to piling up from fourth place.
Fourth place in Monaco would have been reserved for Lewis Hamilton. However, his punishment for the hinder of Verstappen in Q1 threw him back three places. On Sunday, the 40-year-old went past Fernando Alonso and Isack Hadjar-the maximum.
Graph: behind the top pilots (in seconds/high axis) on racing winner Norris in the course of the race (right axis)
A tactical masterpiece delivered the racing bulls behind it. After the procession trip from the previous year, the FIA forced the teams for two pit stops this year. With the artificial knar, the regular guards wanted to bring unrest into racing and create opportunities for changing positions.
Racing bulls tactics are rewarded
However, the race stables immediately used the rule to maximize their result from a team perspective. At the beginning, Liam Lawson stopped the field to build up a buffer garage neighbor Hadjar, so that he stayed in front of the competitor after his pit stops. Well Played – A strong sixth place was the reward for Hadjar and the young bulls. Because Williams relied on the same tactic, Lawson also benefited and was happy about eighth place.
At Williams, Carlos Sainz initially helped his team -mate Alex Albon, later the Thai stroller played. The bottom line is three points that the traditional team likes to take with them. The only Esteban Ocon in Haas was a lone fighter in these games – the higher the Frenchman’s seventh place is to be evaluated.
After the totally signed qualifying, there was nothing to see from Mercedes. The last chance of at least one point lost to George Russell due to a deliberately accepted punishment for overtaking next to the route.
Formula 1 in Monaco 2025 at least a little more exciting
Has the experiment with the two mandatory stops now failed? The hope of more overtaking opportunities on the route was disappointed. This expectation was unrealistic anyway. In Monte Carlo it was almost impossible with the smaller, more agile cars of previous years to get past a slower opponent – just think of Nigel Mansell, who in the superior Williams in the superior Williams on Ayrton Senna in the McLaren.
With the currently larger cars, this Monaco problem has only tightened. A more box stops will not change anything.
On the other hand: to enable the mission to get more unrest into the race, one or the other chance of an undercut or other tactical tricks (see Racing Bulls and Williams) was quite successful.
For motorsport purists who are of course about driving as quickly as possible. Compared to the boring monaco past, the rule in 2025 brought at least a somewhat more exciting race.