Norris Secures First Monaco Victory as New Pit Stop Rule Fails to Create Excitement

Lando Norris secured a controlled victory in Monaco from pole position, with Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri completing the podium. This year's edition of one of the calendar's least action-packed events was defined by a new mandatory 2-stop rule which created frustration instead of excitement.

Early Action

As the lights went out, Norris locked up while braking into Sainte Dévote but managed to hold the inside line against a fast-starting Leclerc to maintain his position. The early laps saw a fight in the midfield between rookies Gabriel Bortoleto and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, which ended with Bortoleto hitting the barrier at Portier and triggering a Virtual Safety Car.

The VSC presented the first major strategic dilemma. While the leaders stayed out to retain track position and gambling on the possibility of a full safety car later on, several cars at the back took the opportunity for a cheap first stop.

Midfield Misery

As the race unfolded, the new 2-stop rule saw teams using one driver to tactically back up the field, allowing their teammate to complete a pit stop without losing track position. The Racing Bulls team executed this perfectly, with Liam Lawson managing his pace to give Isack Hadjar a clean pit window. The frustration with this tactic ultimately peaked on lap 50, when George Russell, stuck behind the tactically slow Williams of Alex Albon, intentionally cut the chicane and willingly accepted a drive-through penalty just to get past.

Lewis Hamilton showed that a conventional overcut could still be powerful, with the Ferrari driver using the approach to pass two cars. It was a less successful day for Alpine, however, as Pierre Gasly’s race ended prematurely on lap 9 after he misjudged his braking in the tightly packed field and drove into the back of his former teammate, Yuki Tsunoda.

Non-stop Verstappen?

The race for the win was dictated by Max Verstappen, who started on the hard compound and ran a long first stint. After Norris made his second and final pit stop, he emerged behind the Red Bull. The McLaren driver, on fresher tyres, was unable to pass Verstappen, which allowed a charging Leclerc to close the gap to as little as half a second.

This created a tense finish as the top three ran nose-to-gearbox, stuck behind the yet-to-pit Verstappen. After commentators started to wonder whether the Dutchman would simply not take his second stop and accept a time penalty after the race, Verstappen finally pulled into the pits on the penultimate lap. Released into clean air, Norris immediately set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap, stretching his lead over Leclerc to win by three seconds.

The only on-track overtake of the race went untelevised, when Lance Stroll passed Nico Hulkenberg while approaching the Nouvelle Chicane, highlighting the persisting lack of action despite the added strategic complexity this year.