Formula 1 in Monaco
Crime thriller in the principality: Norris wins in front of local hero
Updated on May 25, 2025 – 5:20 p.m.Reading time: 3 min.
Lando Norris celebrates victory in the traditional race and barely distances a crowd favorite. Before that, world champion Max Verstappen made it exciting.
World champion Max Verstappen took fourth place at the end, made it exciting to the last round – because until then the vital title holder had only completed one of the two pit stops mandatory this year. In theory, the Dutchman could also have been the first to drive over the finish line, but then had to expect a juicy point penalty. The 27-year-old had probably hoped for a very late breakdown, then the regulation would have been overridden. In order to make the race in Monaco, in which there is almost no overtaking option to make it more exciting, Formula 1 had prescribed two pit stops for this year’s Grand Prix.
The Briton reduced its gap to the recently so strong team-mate Oscar Piatri to just three World Cup points.
Norris, who introduced his sixth career victory, defended his first starting place with a hard maneuver in the first curve and kept Leclerc at your distance. The previous year’s winner tried to counter, but just like the day before trying to make it into pole for the fourth time. Both had a spectacular quality, Leclerc did not give up until the end of the race.
A one -time change of rule meant that Oliver Bearman, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda changed their tires in the first round. This year, only had to be lodged by every pilot in Monaco. Because Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto crashed into the guardrail in the first circulation, the trio used the short break in racing to raise new tires.
The reason for the compulsory boxing stops was the lack of tension in recent years. The teams should have more tactical possibilities because overtaking is almost impossible in the principality. However, teams such as the Racing Bulls and Williams used to delay the game in phases in order to give one driver the time to change the tire.
Overall, the new rule did not lead to more action on the shortest route in the calendar with a length of 3.337 kilometers. The narrow asphalt band is at most ten meters wide to risk a maneuver, can have fatal consequences. Nowhere are the guardrails so close, nowhere do small mistakes have such drastic consequences as the classic on the Côte d’Azur.
That felt that in round nine gas. The French alpine driver crashed into the rear with a lot of momentum in the Red Bull and destroyed the front axle after his faux pas. Gasly dragged himself into the pit lane on three wheels and blocked the garages of competitor Williams (read more about this here).
At the top, nothing changed after the second virtual safety car, Leclerc chased Norris in vain. Behind it, world champion Max Verstappen did not get past World Cup leaders Piatri and had to be patient. Before the eyes of football star Kylian Mbappé and US actor Patrick Dempsey, it was only more exciting by the first tire changes from the top teams.
Norris stayed in front of Leclerc and Piatri after his stop, Verstappen stayed the longest on the slopes and took over the top. When the Dutch needed new tires, the old order was restored.
Once again, ex-world champion Fernando Alonso experienced a day to forget and had to frustrate his paralyzing Aston Martin early with technical problems at half-time of the Grand Price.
Even the second tire change of the strongest race stables stayed off the longest and hoped for a safety car phase. In addition, he broke Norris in phases, so that Leclerc and later Piatri were able to catch up again. But Verstappen Poker did not work, after the second compulsory stop he couldn’t make it to the podium in the Princely Lodge.