Lando Norris Wins the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix in a Cunning Strategy Showdown
McLaren‘s Lando Norris has clinched an exhilarating victory at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix, outsmarting Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri in a race that turned into an unusual game of chess. The one-off rule mandating three tire changes forced every driver to make two pit stops, turning the race into a strategic battle.
An Unusual Race Turned Into a Chess Match
Despite the unfortunate timing of neutralizations, Norris capitalized on his pole position, securing his second win of the season. Leclerc and Piastri joined him on the podium, with Verstappen finishing fourth after a futile attempt to benefit from a late red flag.
At the start, Norris locked his tires to maintain the lead from Leclerc at Turn 1’s Ste Devote, while Piastri held off Verstappen. The incident at the rear involving Gabriel Bortoleto and Andrea Kimi Antonelli triggered a virtual safety car, but the leaders opted to stay out.
Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly, and Oliver Bearman made early pit stops due to the yellow flag, leading to a collision between Gasly and Tsunoda at the Nouvelle Chicane. Gasly retired with no brakes after the incident, while Tsunoda escaped damage.
Midfielders Trigger First Round of Stops
The pit stops by midfield drivers changed the race dynamics, forcing the leaders to up their pace significantly to maintain their advantage. Liam Lawson created a buffer for his teammate Isack Hadjar, who then made a cheap pit stop for soft tires, only losing two positions due to his teammate’s rear gunning.
Hamilton was able to overtake Hadjar, who soon pitted again for hard tires to finish the race. Norris was the first of the lead group to pit on lap 20, followed by Piastri and Leclerc in quick succession. The Monegasque responded to keep his position, setting the stage for a tense battle.
Verstappen’s Late Pitstop Heaps Pressure on Norris
The race order remained unchanged until the second round of pit stops provided an opportunity for some drama. Piastri moved first on lap 49, followed by Leclerc and Norris on the next two laps. Verstappen stayed out, upping his pace and hoping for a safety car once more.
Norris and Leclerc closed the gap to Verstappen, leaving Red Bull with only a slim hope of a free tire change due to a red flag. With Hamilton also pitting, Verstappen was under no pressure to take his final stop before the very end.
Norris Holds His Ground Against Leclerc and Piastri
Verstappen’s slow pace put Norris in a precarious position between Leclerc and Piastri, making the last dozen laps nerve-wracking for the world champion. However, Norris’ second pit stop with one lap to go allowed him to retake the lead and claim his second win of the season ahead of Leclerc and Piastri.
Hadjar finished an excellent sixth thanks to Lawson’s early teamwork and Racing Bull’s savvy strategy. Esteban Ocon’s Haas team also perfectly planned the Frenchman’s two pit stops to finish seventh, while Lawson was rewarded for his efforts with eighth.
Williams duo Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz took the final points, a result of the pair backing up the chasing Mercedes cars. Both Russell and Antonelli were unable to make their way into the points after qualifying outside the top 10, gambling on chaos by delaying their two pit stops after those of their rivals.
Frustrated with Albon’s blocking, Russell decided to pass the Williams by cutting the chicane, intentionally taking a time penalty instead of giving the position back. However, the race stewards responded by handing Russell a drive-through instead of a time penalty to thwart his cunning plan.
Alonso lost out on his first points of the season due to a suspected power unit issue, gracefully parking his Aston Martin behind the wall at Rascasse to avoid any disruption to the race.
Norris Closes the Gap in the Championship
In the championship, Norris has closed the gap to points leader Piastri to just three points. Verstappen lost three points to the Australian and heads to next weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona 25 points behind.
