Lando Norris kept Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri at bay and negotiated the strategic conundrum of two mandatory pit stops to convert pole position into a first Monaco Grand Prix win. 

The plan to bring tactical variation and therefore more excitement to the narrow streets of Monaco by requiring all driver to use three sets of tyres during the race yielded the expected variety in terms of when teams chose to pit their drivers, but ultimately a cagey approach led to little change in the top 10 order with only Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton picking up a place when he jumped Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar in the early stops and with the drivers behind gaining a spot when Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso retired midway through. 

When the lights went out at the start, pole sitter Norris recovered from a Turn 1 lock-up to take the lead ahead of Leclerc, while behind them Piastri shrugged off a challenge from Max Verstappen to hold third place as they made their way up the hill to Casino Square. 

At the exit of Portier, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto was squeezed by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and the Brazilian nosed into the barriers. Bortoleto was able to continue but the incident resulted in a Virtual Safety Car being deployed. 

Both Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly took the opportunity to pit under the VSC and the pair emerged in 17th and 18th places respectively. When the VSC ended, the field resumed in order, with Norris holding his lead ahead of Leclerc and Piastri and with Max in P5 ahead Racing Bull driver Isack Hadjar. 

On lap eight, Gasly apparently suffered brake failure on the exit of the tunnel, and he slammed into the right rear wheel of Tsunoda’s Red Bull. The Japanese driver was able to continue, but Gasly, with broken front suspension, went skidding through the Nouvelle Chicane. The Frenchman was able to limp back to the pit lane and racing continued. 

Hadjar was the first of the front runners to pit, on lap 15. That sparked a reaction from the drivers around him and on lap 19 Norris dived in for Hard tyres, ceding the lead to Leclerc. Attempting to undercut the Monegasque driver, McLaren then pitted Piastri, but Ferrari reacted, and Leclerc was able to pit on lap 22 and rejoin ahead of Piastri. 

Delaying his pit stop, Verstappen moved into the lead, but the Red Bull driver soon reported that his starting tyres were beginning to suffer and on lap 29 he made his first stop. The Dutchman slotted back into fourth place, four seconds behind Piastri.

On lap 37, Alonso stopped at Rascasse. The Spanish driver’s Aston Martin was quickly recovered through a gap in the barriers, and any race neutralisation was avoided. 

At half distance, Norris began to stretch away from the chasing pack and by lap 42 the McLaren driver had built a six-second gap back to Leclerc who was nine seconds ahead of Piastri who was struggling for grip. 

McLaren brought Piastri in for his second stop on lap 49. Leclerc also pitted on the same lap and on lap 50 Norris made his final stop of the race. That pushed Verstappen back into the lead and the champion elected to stay on track, hoping for a late incident and potentially a red flag. 

The Red Bull driver’s gamble meant he gradually backed Norris towards Leclerc and the Ferrari driver senses an opportunity. There was no way past, however. Norris kept his cool in the closing laps and when Verstappen finally made his second stop on the penultimate lap, the McLaren was freed to pull away, set the fastest lap of race and take a sixth career win ahead of the Ferrari man and Piastri. 

Verstappen was left with his starting place of fourth, while fifth place went to the second Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton, who jumped Hadjar when the Racing Bulls driver made his two stops in quick succession early in the race. Behind the French driver, Haas’ Esteban Ocon took seventh place ahead of the second Racing Bull of Liam Lawson and the final two points positions went to the Williams pair of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. 

2025 FIA Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix – Race 
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 78 1:40'33.843 
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 78 1:40'36.974 3.131
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 78 1:40'37.501 3.658
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 78 1:40'54.415 20.572
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 78 1:41'25.230 51.387
6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 77 1:41'38.925 1 lap /1'05.082
7 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 77 1:41'39.872 1 lap /1'06.029
8 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 77 1:41'40.589 1 lap /1'06.746
9 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 76 1:40'45.712 2 laps /11.869
10 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 76 1:40'49.075 2 laps /15.232
11 George Russell Mercedes 76 1:41'07.687 2 laps /33.844
12 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 76 1:41'28.536 2 laps /54.693
13 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Renault 76 1:41'30.957 2 laps /57.114
14 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 76 1:41'42.267 2 laps /1'08.424
15 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 76 1:41'44.238 2 laps /1'10.395
16 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 76 1:41'45.387 2 laps /1'11.544
17 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 76 1:41'45.692 2 laps /1'11.849
18 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 75 1:40'42.252 3 laps /8.409
     Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 36 48'27.102 Retirement
     Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 7 10'57.609 Retirement