Lando Norris turned the streets of Monte Carlo into a personal playground on Sunday, clinching a commanding victory at the Monaco Grand Prix and slicing Oscar Piastri’s Formula One lead to just three points – while a new double pit-stop rule designed to spice things up barely moved the needle.
Starting from pole, the McLaren driver briefly locked up into Turn 1 but quickly settled into a relentless rhythm, staving off a late surge from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to claim his first Grand Prix win since Australia.
“It feels amazing – a long, gruelling race,” said Norris, after bagging his maiden Monaco victory and sixth career win. “This is what we dream of as kids.”
Leclerc, last year’s winner on home soil, kept Norris honest in the final laps but couldn’t find daylight on a circuit notorious for shutting doors.
Piastri, who started and finished third, saw his championship lead dwindle as defending world champion Max Verstappen settled for fourth.
Despite the much-hyped two-stop regulation meant to shake up Monaco’s static processions, the top four finished just as they started.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, demoted to seventh on the grid after a qualifying penalty, was one of the few movers, climbing to fifth after a well-timed first stop on Lap 19.
Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar shone in sixth – his best result yet – thanks to a bold early two-stop strategy.
Fernando Alonso bowed out halfway with smoke billowing from his Aston Martin, though he expertly parked it out of harm’s way to avoid triggering a safety car.
Further down, George Russell’s gamble to delay his stops backfired as he received a penalty for gaining an advantage off-track.
He finished 11th, while teammate Kimi Antonelli languished in 18th after a nightmare qualifying.
F1 officials had hoped to revive Monaco’s thrill factor with a mandatory second stop, but overtaking – the circuit’s eternal Achilles’ heel – remained elusive. Crashes were minimal, and the front runners largely ran unchallenged after Lap 1, when a squeezed Gabriel Bortoleto tagged the wall, prompting a brief virtual safety car.
Another yellow followed on Lap 9 after Pierre Gasly’s Alpine lost a front wheel in a collision. Still, the race lacked the chaos that has so often been Monaco’s equalizer.
Piastri, Leclerc, and Norris all pitted for a second time between Laps 49-50, while Verstappen stretched his second stop to Lap 77 of 78, giving Leclerc a glimpse at Norris but not enough time or tarmac.
"We lost it yesterday," Leclerc admitted, pointing to qualifying as the true decider. “Lando did a better job – he deserves it.”
Spain awaits next weekend, with McLaren riding momentum and the title race tightening.
