2025 Monaco Grand Prix: Lando Norris Wins, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri Complete the Podium

McLaren’s Lando Norris delivered a commanding performance to win the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix, fending off stiff competition from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and teammate Oscar Piastri. The Briton’s victory marks his second of the season and significantly reduces Piastri’s lead in the drivers’ championship to just three points.

Norris’s race was far from straightforward. After surviving a first-corner lock-up, he navigated multiple Virtual Safety Car phases, lapped traffic, and the mandatory two-stop regulation. Despite the pressure, Norris set the fastest lap of the race—1:13.221—on the final lap, sealing a hard-fought win around Monte Carlo’s unforgiving streets.

Leclerc, last year’s winner on home turf, pushed hard during key phases of the race, particularly at the start into Sainte Devote and again in the closing laps when Max Verstappen backed up the field, but had to settle for second. Piastri rounded out the podium, limiting the damage in the standings after a more measured drive.

Verstappen, who opted for an off-strategy run with longer stints on alternate tyres, held the lead late into the race. However, a late pit stop dropped the Red Bull driver to fourth at the chequered flag. Lewis Hamilton recovered from a grid penalty incurred for impeding Verstappen in qualifying to finish a quiet but solid fifth for Mercedes.

Rookie Isack Hadjar impressed with a sixth-place finish, ahead of Haas’ Esteban Ocon and teammate Liam Lawson. Williams scored a rare double points finish with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz in ninth and tenth, respectively. George Russell’s race unraveled after he received a drive-through penalty for an illegal overtake on Albon, dropping him out of the points.

Haas’ Ollie Bearman mounted a recovery from a 10-place grid penalty and early-race drama to finish 12th, followed by Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Kick Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto. The latter had earlier made contact with Kimi Antonelli at Portier but managed to bring his car home ahead of Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg, and Yuki Tsunoda.

Antonelli was the final classified finisher in 18th, having delayed his pit stops until the final moments of the race. Fernando Alonso retired with a suspected engine issue, while Pierre Gasly’s race ended following a collision with Tsunoda in the tunnel.

With the championship tightening at the top and McLaren demonstrating clear one-lap and race pace, the season now shifts to the next round with momentum building for Norris—and questions looming over Red Bull’s strategic decisions.