Source- Formula 1
If you unfortunately missed the weekend in Monaco, it was everything except wheel-on-wheel action. Let’s get you caught up.
The basics you need to understand are that Pirelli’s new C6 tires were used in practice a lot, making drivers bump into barriers quite a bit. The tires were made with Monaco in mind, but they couldn’t prevent traffic and chains of drivers from forming. The other mention-worthy change is the two pit stop rule. The Monaco Grand Prix is the first time that there have been mandated pit stops. It was done to cheer on overtaking and make the race more exciting for viewers.
What happened before Sunday at the Monaco Grand Prix?
In FP1, Lance and Leclerc had a bit of an ouchie. Lance didn’t know that Charles behind him, so he pulled into the fast lane. This led to Charles hitting Lance Stroll’s car. Both got bitter damage to their cars.
Meanwhile, FP2 was rather messy. A point to note is that there haven’t been as many crashes in Monaco literally ever. Hadjar, the Racing Bulls rookie, ran into the barriers with a damaged rear. He crashed into the swimming pool chicane and got underfloor damage. Oh, and the track didn’t spare Oscar Piastri, either. He hit the barrier and lost his front wing.
Now, in FP3, the track had a very low grip, so almost everyone stayed in the pits for about 15 minutes. Fernando Alonso was the last to leave the pits. Lastly, Lewis Hamilton also bumped into the barriers at Casino Square, which is quite an unusual place for such incidents.
During Qualification, both Mercedes had to go through some major issues. Kimi crashed into the barrier, damaged the front left section of his car and had to retire. George Russell had battery trouble in the tunnel, and his car stopped. Norris was the pole sitter, beating the hometown hero Leclerc. He set a new track record of 1.09 seconds.
The Strategy Sunday
The popular opinion about the Monaco GP 2025 has been that it was boring, with only two overtakes. Whereas last year’s race had four overtakes. The disappointment is valid as the whole point of the two pit-stop rule was to make more action happen on the track in Monaco. However, from a strategic point of view, the race was a blast. All 10 teams were executing their strategies all at once, and maybe I’m a strategy nerd, but that was so exciting to watch.
From lap one itself, there was drama as the McLaren cars struggled to hold positions through all 19 slow turns and still managed to do so. Into turn ten, Gabrielle Bortoletto was met with understeer and got pushed into the wall, which caused a virtual safety car. He did rejoin the race, but the VSC gave Yuki, Gasly, and Bearman a chance to take their first pit stops.
A little while after the VSC ended, Pierre Gasly’s front left hit Yuki’s Red Bull. The incident happened because he had lost his brakes and had to drive 500m to the pits. The damage to his car was unfixable, so he retired. The debris got so out of hand that the pit lane had to be closed down. The Williams mechanics had to physically stop the car, which raised safety concerns. The FIA announced an investigation, but Gasly may avoid any penalties due to brake failure.
Another unfortunate incident was Alonso’s retirement during lap 39. This season is his worst since his rookie year. The retirement was caused by a power unit issue, which led to overheating and smoke billowing out of his engine. It feels like a personal loss.
Two Pit Stop Drama
The mandated two pit stop rule brought about, well, something to the race. The racing bulls took advantage of their mid-grid positions to execute amazing teamwork. Liam slowed down and made a gap to let Hadjar finish his pit stops. They both ended in points P6 and P8 and delivered their personal best F1 performances. We also witnessed Williams doing the same. Carlos Sainz slowed the grid down and gave Albon free pit stops. Later, they swapped positions as Alex slowed down and Sainz pitted. Such cutesy strategies.
Whilst all this was happening, George Russell… I mean, Princess Georgina got so frustrated by the constant hold-up that he cut into the chicane to overtake Alex Albon. For this illegal move, he got a drive-through penalty. Later, he admitted that he didn’t really care as he was out of points anyway. He just wanted to enjoy the race. On a lighter note, Alex paid for George’s dinner as a payback for holding him back. Aww, besties!
By the end, Max was slowing down in hopes of a red flag. That didn’t go as planned. Norris took the victory, followed by Leclerc and Piastri. Here is what he had to say about it- “It feels amazing. It’s a long race, a long, grueling race. We could push for the whole race, and we won in Monaco! An amazing weekend with Pole, with today. This is what we dream of, this is what I did dream of as a kid. The worst bit was the end, I felt under control the whole race, but Max was backing it up a little bit, and I had to manage it, back off Max, and push when I needed to. We are going to have a wonderful night!”
Qualifying for the pole position in Monaco is one of the toughest challenges in F1. Lando kept defending his position throughout the race. Monaco has always been a race to remember, and he has worked hard to achieve this front. Hats off.
Source- Formula1.com
Mixed opinions
The rule itself has mixed reactions from the drivers and fans alike. Max Verstappen called the race “Mario Kart” and suggested that it wasn’t simply lovely. He also stated that the Monaco GP track wasn’t meant for their car. However, taking a look at the other side, slow racing and new strategies are a part of the sport. The rule was worth a try, we can’t rule out possibility of it impacting the circuit for the better.
This is it for our 2025 Monaco Grand Prix review! Let us know your opinion in the comments!
