Five winners and five losers from F1’s Monaco Grand Prix

A brand new rule change failed to enliven the racing however a first-time Monaco Grand Prix winner produced an announcement F1 drive.

Some gambles failed to return off in a race that was barely extra fascinating in comparison with 12 months in the past, although finally dictated by crew techniques, visitors and no overtaking.

Listed below are our greatest winners and losers from Monte Carlo…

Winner – Lando Norris

Lando Norris stayed cool, calm and picked up regardless of the potential jeopardy surrounding the necessary two-stop rule, and late stress from house hero Charles Leclerc, to safe a primary win on the streets on Monaco.

This was a massively vital weekend for Norris. For the second occasion operating he obtained the higher of teammate Oscar Piastri to additional eat into his McLaren teammate’s championship lead, which now stands at simply three factors.

Crucially for Norris, Piastri’s current streak of momentum has been halted. A second win of the season couldn’t have come at a greater time for Norris, who has answered his critics and will regain the benefit within the title race with a repeat end result at Barcelona subsequent weekend.

Loser – Mercedes

A uncommon point-less – and massively irritating – weekend for Mercedes. 

With Mercedes’ grand prix successfully ruined by a disastrous qualifying end result which left George Russell and Kimi Antonelli 14th and fifteenth on the grid, the Silver Arrows’ technique ended up being a case of keep out for so long as attainable.

Mercedes finally had little or no to lose given each their drivers began properly outdoors of the factors, so there may be some sense within the gamble to throw every thing on pink within the hope of a fortuitously-timed Security Automotive or pink flag, however neither one got here.

Winner – Ferrari

Ferrari would have taken P2 and P5 in Monaco had they been provided it earlier than the motion began, having arrived within the Principality anticipating to endure a troublesome weekend round a observe they thought would spotlight the weaknesses of the SF-25.

Nonetheless, Leclerc emerged as the person to beat till the ultimate lap of qualifying, and gave his all to try to land a second successive win on his house streets. Attempt as he would possibly, it wasn’t to be, with the Monegasque annoyed to must settle with second.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was one of many few drivers who made good points within the race as he undercut Fernando Alonso and jumped Isack Hadjar in the course of the pit stops on his strategy to taking fifth to assist Ferrari safe a stable factors haul.

Loser – Oscar Piastri

Over the previous two weekends, Piastri has seen his championship lead whittled down from 16 factors to a few after back-to-back defeats to McLaren teammate Norris.

Piastri will probably be dissatisfied to have completed third – and squandered important factors – in a automotive that was able to each pole and the win. The Australian had a couple of uncharacteristically scrappy moments throughout the weekend that he’ll need to shortly put behind him.

How Piastri responds in Barcelona to forestall this mini setback from turning into one thing greater will probably be fascinating.

Winner – Racing Bulls

One other very good weekend for Hadjar, and a fairly nice one for teammate Liam Lawson and your entire Racing Bulls squad.

French teen Hadjar continues to shine in his rookie F1 season by notching his greatest end result thus far with a powerful drive to take P6, whereas Lawson bagged his first factors of 2025 in eighth.

The double factors haul sees Racing Bulls bounce forward of Aston Martin into seventh place within the constructors’ championship.

Loser – Fernando Alonso

Alonso should be questioning when his luck will change. 

After a superb qualifying left him beginning P6 (thanks partially to Hamilton’s grid penalty), the two-time world champion appeared destined to attain his first factors of 2025 at a observe the place overtaking is near-impossible.

Regardless of dropping floor to Hamilton after the primary spherical of pit stops, Alonso nonetheless regarded properly on target for a top-10 end – that was till his Aston Martin conked out with a suspected energy unit downside at round mid-distance.

The self-titled ‘unluckiest driver in F1’ is actually residing as much as that at present.

Winner – Esteban Ocon

On Esteban Ocon’s facet of the Haas storage, it was a wonderful weekend.

The Frenchman transformed his Q3 look right into a seventh-place end, outperforming his rookie teammate comprehensively in each qualifying and the race.

The six factors earned ensured Haas stay above Racing Bulls in P6 within the constructors’ championship, whereas Ocon now has 20 factors – 14 greater than Oliver Bearman – and is as much as ninth within the drivers’ standings.

Loser – Yuki Tsunoda

It has been a pair of bruising weekends with little or no signal of progress for Yuki Tsunoda at Purple Bull.

The Japanese racer was all the time going to have a troublesome afternoon after failing to succeed in Q3 in Monte Carlo’s all-important qualifying, an space he nonetheless holds a big deficit to Max Verstappen.

Tsunoda ended up ending final of the 4 Purple Bull drivers and can absolutely be coming below stress if these sorts of lacklustre performances proceed over the approaching rounds.

Winner – Williams

It wasn’t fairly, however Williams’ technique labored to perfection for the British squad as Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz took it in turns to again up the Mercedes of Russell and Antonelli and secured the crew’s fourth consecutive double-points end in ninth and tenth.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff revealed after the race that Williams counterpart James Vowles had texted an apology for his crew’s techniques however Williams will come away pleased with the end result.

Loser – Pierre Gasly

A really wretched Monaco Grand Prix weekend for Alpine and Pierre Gasly, whose race lasted simply 9 laps earlier than he rear-ended Tsunoda’s Purple Bull after struggling a scary brake situation on the Nouvelle Chicane.