Raceday Recap: Monaco in Motion
I know, I know, everyone thinks that the Monaco Grand Prix is the most boring race on the F1 calendar. However, this year’s event was more exciting than ever due to some rule changes. The alterations by the FIA allowed for the race to be more unpredictable and exciting, so let’s dive into what made this season’s Monaco Grand Prix so grand.
Saturday’s qualifying started the weekend’s excitement off well, with Lando Norris taking pole and Charles Leclerc claiming P2 at his home race. Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen rounded out the top 5, with Isack Hadjar behind in 6th for a career-best qualifying result. Fernando Alonso qualified P7 for his best grid start of 2025, and Esteban Ocon’s P8 spot was his best of the season so far as well. 9th on the grid in Monaco turned out to be Liam Lawson, an extremely surprising but impressive result from the previously-struggling Racing Bull driver. Williams’ Alex Albon filled the last spot on the grid, with his teammate Carlos Sainz just out of the top 10 by seven one hundredths of a second.
Lando Norris leading the race from pole position in Monaco. Photo courtesy of PlanetF1.
On Lap 1, a virtual safety car was called after Gabriel Bortoleto flew into the wall, but the Sauber driver was able to recover his car and finish the race. Pierre Gasly, however, puttered back to the garage on lap 9 with the front left side of his car destroyed, after he lost his braking abilities and left debris scattered everywhere. Fernando Alonso retired the race on lap 39 due to a power unit failure, while many other drivers struggled through technical issues but didn’t retire from the race. Max Verstappen had the most notable issue with his car’s shifts, complaining that they felt like the Monaco Grand Prix 1972. Lewis Hamilton also faced issues throughout the race, but with his problems were with his race engineer instead of his actual car. As Lewis was asking his engineer Ricciardo Adami questions, Adami ignored Hamilton, even as the driver asked if he was upset with him. This confusing relationship may be part of the reason that Hamilton has not been able to settle at Ferrari, and this is definitely an issue that needs to be solved quickly in order for the champion to succeed.
This year’s Monaco Grand Prix looked a little different than previous races in Monte Carlo because of a new restriction implemented by the FIA. Because the street circuit is very narrow and the racecars are very wide, it is almost impossible to overtake during the race, resulting in a less exciting race for both fans and drivers. To allow for more chances to overtake and consequently make the race more entertaining, a mandatory 2nd pit stop was administered. This rule made the largest impact towards the end of the race, as Max Verstappen held out until the final few laps to execute his 2nd pit stop in hopes that a yellow flag and safety car would allow him to pit without losing the lead if the race. Unfortunately for him, that flag never came, and Verstappen ended up finishing in 4th place. Verstappen wasn’t the only one who attempted an uncertain race strategy: both Mercedes drivers widely cut the corner after the tunnel in order to pass Alex Albon - a clear violation of the rules. Russell chose to take a 20 second drive-through penalty for exiting the track limits, while Antonelli received no penalty after he willingly gave the place back.
The official podium for the 2025 Monaco GP: 2 ecstatic McLaren drivers accompanied by a dejected Monagasque Ferrari driver. Photo courtesy of Sports.info
At the end, Lando Norris stood on the podium’s top step for the 2nd time in 2025, followed by Charles Leclerc in 2nd at his home race and Oscar Piastri in 3rd. Max Verstappen finished 4th, Lewis Hamilton 5th, and Isack Hadjar in a monumental 6th place. Esteban Ocon landed in P7, with Liam Lawson in P8 for his best finish of the season. The two Williams drivers snatched up the last few points, with Albon in 9th and Carlos Sainz in 10th: overall a successful weekend for most teams (everyone except for Mercedes and Sauber, really).
The 2025 Monaco Grand Prix was fun to watch, even if almost every driver was stressed and under pressure throughout the weekend. Until next time, and as always, thanks for reading.
Lights out and away we go,
Lucy xx
