The relief for Lando Norris arrived at the Monaco Grand Prix
The Englishman, who started from Pole, maintained his position, despite the special regulations imposed by the FIA, and celebrated in Monegasco street. Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri completed the podium.
When did Lando Norris win the 2025 Monaco GP? Saturday. When did Charles Leclerc lost the 2025 Monaco GP? Saturday. Once again, as almost always, the classification puts the lock to the competition in the Urban Monegasco. Not for anything Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren, shouted and celebrated as an unaware after English achieved the pole position. The American was more measured after the 78 laps were completed than when the 12 minutes of Q3 were closed. This is the competition in the Monegasco urban. It usually gives exciting qualls and soporiferous races. After the tedium of 2024, the FIA looked for a twist when they forced everyone to perform, minimum, two stop stops, as if trying to deliver some noise of doubt. But none of that happened. As the first four started, they arrived. Of course, all that matters little to Norris, who stayed with a triumph that means a necessary relief.
McLaren’s English started the year as the great candidate for the title. For the first time in his career he managed to have a car superior to the rest and since the beginning of the season. Because in 2024, that great update that put the chassis papaya ahead was late, when Max Verstappen had an undescontable advantage, added to Norris’ mistakes and bad handling in specific situations from the boxes wall. And the British started with everything: pole and victory in Australia, dominating the MCL39 in the rain. It seemed that the sister -time times had been forgotten, but from the second event the decline began.
And the figure of Oscar Piastri emerged. The Australian is fast and does not give anything to anyone. Key for a pilot. And something else: psychologically granitic. Norris, meanwhile, makes tantrums on the radio, insults himself, sincere with the press about the pressures … Piastri grew at the same time as Lando fell. I needed a strong shake that modified the trend. And nothing less than in Monaco arrived.
He had already given a signal in Icola, when he beat his partner to be second, behind Verstappen. But, of course, the Australian had much older tires. But in Monaco it was almost sensational. That missing part to complete it was the mistake of the game, when he blocked in the first curve and put at risk all the good he had built on Saturday. But he held his McLaren, endured Leclerc’s onslaught and stayed with his sixth victory in F1 and, in addition, he cut the gap with Pastri only three points. The Triplete Emilia-Romagna, Monaco and Spain (next week) began at 16 and could leave Barcelona as a pointer.
The race, for more stops they impose, was boring. Only one mistake could change the result that was sung since Saturday, as almost always happens in the street of the Principality. Leclerc pressed, but his career was lost from the classification. Piastri made up with the podium. Max Verstappen tried something different, stretching the second detention until the end, but nothing helped him, security or anything.
Norris relieved and managed to win in one of the F1 classics and his illusion of being champion is back. It will only depend on him: he must not re -enter the path of errors.
