F1 rule change for Monaco GP fails as frustrating race ends in predictable outcome

All drivers were forced to pit twice in the Monaco Grand Prix with Formula 1 bosses keen to liven up a dull race, but it didn’t make much of a difference on another processional Sunday

Lando Norris won another processional Monaco Grand Prix as Formula 1’s pit stop gamble didn’t pay off. All drivers were forced to make two changes on Sunday in a bid to make the event more exciting, but it failed to do so.

Instead, it led to a situation where teams could rely on it being impossible to overtake on the tight Monte Carlo streets enough to get one driver to back up others to give their team-mates enough time to pit. Racing Bulls and Williams were among those who successfully employed such a tactic, the latter leaving a frustrated George Russell to cop a huge penalty for cutting a chicane in anger.

But there was little drama at the front. Norris started on pole thanks to his record-breaking qualifying lap and stayed there, even with Charles Leclerc piling on the pressure. Oscar Piastri finished third, also where he started, while Max Verstappen was fourth after pitting late from the lead with Red Bull gambling on a late red flag that never came.

Lewis Hamilton was able to equal his best Grand Prix result for Ferrari to date by finishing fifth ahead of rookie Isack Hadjar who benefitted from that Racing Bulls strategy to complete a very impressive result. Neither of the Mercedes cars made it to the top 10.

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Unlike the start of the Formula 2 feature race earlier in the day, which saw a 12-car pile-up at the first corner, everyone got through Sainte-Devote unscathed this time. But there was an incident on the first lap when Gabriel Bortoleto buried the nose of his Sauber into the barrier, having been caught out by Kimi Antonelli.

The Brazilian found reverse and carried on going, getting to the pit lane to fit a new front wing and continue. But it wasn’t long until we did have our first casualty of the race when Pierre Gasly locked up his rear wheels and smashed into the back of Yuki Tsunoda.

It completely destroyed the front-left of the Alpine but he carried on going, nursing the car back to the garage. But that was “super dangerous” in the eyes of pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz who said he expected both team and driver would be “in bother” for not immediately parking what was quite clearly a heavily damaged car.

At the front, Norris had locked up at the first corner but still retained the lead from Leclerc. And he did so until he became the first of the front-runners to pit, emerging in fourth place and, perhaps most importantly, in a few seconds of free air.

That meant he could show the pace he needed to ensure that, by the time those behind him had made their first stops, they would re-emerge back behind him again. A slow stop for Piastri scuppered his chances of pulling off the undercut on Leclerc, especially as Ferrari were highly efficient in the pit box, taking just two seconds to swap all four tyres.

Verstappen stayed out longer than any of them for the first stint and was hoping to get the gap to undercut Piastri. But that plan was scuppered when he hit traffic made up of backmarkers and he was forced into his first tyre change to make sure he did not lose a place to Hamilton.

Fernando Alonso was running well in the top 10 but suffered an engine failure at half distance to ensure that, after eight full Grand Prix weekends, the Spaniard is still without a point in 2025. He declared himself the unluckiest man in F1 in Imola a week ago and it’s hard to argue with him right now.

There were plenty of shenanigans going on in the midfield with some teams and drivers moving intentionally slow to help their team-mates to get a pit gap large enough to not lose places. And that infuriated Russell who accused Alex Albon of driving “erratically”.

He had to cut the Nouvelle Chicane, moving past the Williams as a result and refusing to give the place back, telling his team over the radio that he would “rather take the penalty”. That was no longer the case when, instead of the standard five or 10-second penalty, he was given a drive-through which meant he lost around 20 seconds in total.

And neither he nor team-mate Antonelli had stopped yet, meaning they were not going to be making it into the points. Nor did Tsunoda who fell to the back after completing his final stops.