Lando Norris wins Monaco Grand Prix as F1 pit-stop rule change gamble fails

Irish Daily Mirror

5 days ago

Lando Norris clinched another predictable Monaco Grand Prix victory as Formula 1's pit stop gamble fell flat. All drivers were compelled to make two changes on Sunday in an attempt to inject some excitement into the event, but it proved fruitless.
Instead, it resulted in a scenario where teams could bank on the narrow Monte Carlo streets making overtaking impossible, allowing one driver to slow down others to give their team-mates enough time to pit. Racing Bulls and Williams were among those who successfully utilised such a strategy, leaving a disgruntled George Russell to face a hefty penalty for angrily cutting a chicane.
However, there was scant drama at the front. Norris started on pole thanks to his record-breaking qualifying lap and remained there, even with Charles Leclerc ramping up the pressure.
Oscar Piastri finished third, exactly where he started, while Max Verstappen came fourth after pitting late from the lead with Red Bull taking a punt on a late red flag that never materialised.
Lewis Hamilton managed to match his best Grand Prix result for Ferrari so far by finishing fifth ahead of newcomer Isack Hadjar who capitalised on that Racing Bulls strategy to pull off a very impressive result. Neither of the Mercedes cars made it into the top 10, reports the Mirror.
In contrast to the Formula 2 feature race earlier in the day, which saw a 12-car pile-up at the first corner, everyone managed to navigate Sainte-Devote without incident this time. However, there was a mishap on the first lap when Gabriel Bortoleto crashed his Sauber into the barrier, caught off guard by Kimi Antonelli.
The Brazilian managed to reverse and continue, making it to the pit lane to fit a new front wing and carry on. But it wasn't long before we had our first casualty of the race when Pierre Gasly locked up his rear wheels and collided with the back of Yuki Tsunoda.
This completely wrecked the front-left of the Alpine but he persevered, limping the car back to the garage. But that was "super dangerous" according to pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz who said he expected both team and driver would be "in bother" for not immediately parking what was quite clearly a heavily damaged car.
At the front, Norris had locked up at the first corner but still held onto the lead from Leclerc. And he did so until he became the first of the front-runners to pit, rejoining the race in fourth place and, perhaps most crucially, with a few seconds of clear air.
He could demonstrate the speed he needed to make certain that, by the time his rivals made their pit stops, they would come back out right behind him. A tardy stop for Piastri wrecked any chance of an undercut on Leclerc, particularly as Ferrari's pit crew was on top form, needing just two seconds for a full tyre change.
Verstappen hoped to stay out longer than the rest in the first stint, aiming for a gap large enough to undercut Piastri. But his strategy hit a snag when he encountered slower backmarkers and had to go for an earlier tyre change to avoid losing position to Hamilton.
Alonso, who had shown promise running in the top 10, suffered an engine failure at the halfway mark, ensuring that after eight Grand Prix weekends, he is yet to score a point in 2025. He had expressed frustration at his bad luck in Imola last week, and it seems his misfortunes are far from over.
Midfield racing antics saw plenty of tactical manoeuvring, with some drivers slowing down to assist teammates in securing a big enough pit window to retain position. This riled up Russell, who lambasted Albon's driving as "erratically".
A driver scuppered his chances at the Monaco Grand Prix after cutting the Nouvelle Chicane and overtaking a Williams, obstinately telling his team on the radio he'd "rather take the penalty". However, the expected five or 10-second punishment turned into a drive-through, costing him about 20 seconds overall.
Furthermore, neither he nor his teammate had pitted yet, which dashed any hopes of scoring points. The same fate befell Tsunoda, who dropped to the back following his final stops.
Here are the full 2025 Monaco Grand Prix results:.
DNF: Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin; Pierre Gasly - Alpine.