As the old F1 adage goes – “you win Monaco in qualifying” – and it rang true once again. Starting from pole position, Norris maintained his composure and pace on the narrow, unforgiving street circuit to secure the win.

Local favourite Charles Leclerc, driving for Ferrari, delighted the home crowd by finishing second. Norris’ teammate and current Drivers’ Championship leader, Oscar Piastri, completed the podium in third, making it a strong showing for the McLaren team.

Lando Norris. Photo: F1

For much of the race, the reigning World Champion Max Verstappen led the race. He led comfortably until the final stages, but a mandatory two-stop tyre regulation meant he was forced to pit late in the race. Failure to do so would have incurred a penalty, and dropped him down to fourth. After pitting, Verstappen rejoined in fourth place, holding off Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton to retain the position.

The Dutch driver was certainly banking on a yellow flag late in the race, which could have given him a cheat pitstop and allowed him to go on to win, but it just wasn’t one of those days at the iconic race.

Despite the lack of overtaking action – a hallmark of the tight Monaco circuit – Norris described the victory as nothing short of a dream realised.

At the start of the Monaco Grand Prix. Photo: X

“It feels amazing. It’s a long, gruelling race, but it’s good fun. We were able to push quite a bit through most of it,” said a visibly elated Norris after the race. “The last corner was a bit nerve-wracking with Charles close behind and Max ahead, but we did it. We won in Monaco.

“Doesn’t matter how you win here, I suppose. I had an amazing weekend, from securing pole to taking the victory today. This is what I dreamed of as a kid, and to achieve that here is just incredible.”

Lando Norris. Photo: X

Reflecting on the strategy and the pressure late in the race, Norris added: “The trickiest part was the end. I felt quite in control overall, but with Max ahead backing things up a bit, it gave Charles a real chance to close in. I had to be smart about it – backing off when needed, pushing at the right times. 

“It wasn’t easy, but it was a well-managed, hard-fought race. I’m very happy – and so is the team. We’re definitely going to celebrate tonight.”

With the glitz and glamour of Monte Carlo behind them, the F1 circus now heads to Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix, where teams will be looking to build on their momentum as the championship battle heats up.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg