Lando Norris shines at the Monaco GP and ignites the title fight with Piastri

Lando Norris returned to the top of the podium on Sunday after winning the Monaco Grand Prix , one of the most iconic races in Formula 1. The British McLaren driver started from pole position and held off Charles Leclerc to take his second win of the season, reducing his teammate Oscar Piastri's lead in the world championship to just three points.

“It feels amazing. It’s a long, grueling race, but a lot of fun,” Norris said at the end of the event. “This is what I dreamed of as a kid.”

Norris 's victory marks McLaren 's first in the Principality since Lewis Hamilton in 2008. From the start, the Briton imposed his pace and resisted the pressure on a track where overtaking is almost impossible. Leclerc , eager to shine on home soil, chased him in the closing laps but couldn't find any room to overtake.

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN: Cristiano Ronaldo could be a Rayados de Monterrey reinforcement for the 2025 Club World Cup.

Behind them, Oscar Piastri completed the podium for the second consecutive year, while Max Verstappen, who briefly led before making his second mandatory stop, finished fourth. Lewis Hamilton was fifth, far off the pace.

A new rule designed to increase the excitement in Monaco by requiring two pit stops had little effect on the results. Verstappen , extending his second stop, deliberately slowed Norris to complicate the closing stages, allowing Leclerc and Piastri to close the gap.

“It was an intense finish with Charles close behind and Max in front,” Norris commented. “But we won in Monaco. No matter how, that's what counts.”

With this victory, McLaren has now won six of the first eight races of 2025 and comfortably leads the constructors' championship with 319 points, more than double its closest competitor. The Woking -based team appears poised to retain its title, while its two young drivers are engaged in a thrilling battle for the individual crown.

Despite finishing third, Piastri showed maturity: "If this is a bad weekend, then it's not so bad at all." His seventh consecutive podium finish confirms that the Australian has established himself as one of the year's serious contenders.

With information from AP

TOPICS