"I'm not happy with the second place but this is a very positive result for the whole team": Charles Leclerc, runner-up to Lando Norris on legendary Principality circuit

Lando Norris won the 82nd Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, the eighth leg of the Formula 1 season. The McLaren driver took the chequered flag just ahead of Charles Leclerc, giving the Monegasque a solid second place on home turf and in front of his home crowd. Oscar Piastri completed the podium, ahead of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

Despite finishing as runner-up, the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix was another demonstration of the Monegasque driver’s perfect mastery of the legendary circuit. After narrowly missing out on pole position on Saturday, Charles Leclerc started from second position and never gave up the fight to defend his title.

Temporarily in the lead while Lando Norris went into the pits on lap 18, Leclerc had to give back the reins after his own pitstop on lap 22. The change from Medium to Hard tyres meant he was able to maintain his strong pace, even though it put him back behind the McLaren driver.

Max Verstappen’s strategy, which was very different to McLaren and Ferrari’s tactics, did not work out. The world champion was clearly hoping for a late red flag to upset the order, but Charles remained in control of his fate and was once again voted “Driver of the Day” by Formula 1 fans.

A hectic pace that took its toll

Unlike previous editions, often criticised for their monotony, the 82nd Monaco Grand Prix played out at a hectic pace. The leading drivers, unbound by the usual tyre management constraints, were able to push their cars to the limit throughout the race.

The intensity had a direct impact on the field: only five cars had gone the full distance when they crossed the finish line. A statistic that testifies to the event’s exceptional difficulty and the drivers’ total commitment on the most demanding track on the calendar.

In the end, the mandatory double pitstop did not change the shape of the race, confirming that the positions were largely decided in the early laps and during the overtaking phases on the track.

McLaren now in Ferrari’s crosshairs for the championship

With virtually a double podium, Ferrari had its best weekend of the season so far, earning 28 points. The exceptional haul has enabled the Maranello-based team to move up to within five points of second place in the constructors’ championship, currently held by McLaren.

This positive momentum comes at the perfect time for Ferrari, which seems to have found the perfect balance between performance and reliability. The Leclerc-Hamilton partnership is already creating sparks and could well shake things up in the battle for the constructors’ title.

“I’m not happy with the second place. Then if you step back and you look at our season, I think this is a very positive result for the whole team. Especially coming here, we had very low expectations. It’s a shame we couldn’t take the win today, but we gave it everything. At the end of the day, we lost the victory yesterday [Saturday, in qualifying, Ed.] and Lando (Norris) just did a better job and he deserves this win.

As Ferrari, we are lucky to have great support all around the world, but being from here and seeing all the Monegasque people behind me really warms my heart. I realised my childhood dream last year by winning here, unfortunately it didn’t work out today, but I hope we will be on the top step again next year,” said the Monaco native.

Onward and upward, next stop Barcelona

After Imola and Monaco, the European triptych ends next Sunday in Spain. The Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, the venue for the ninth leg of the season, will be a different kind of playing field for Ferrari.

The Catalan track is more conventional than Monaco, but is just as technically demanding, and should show how much progress the SF-25 has made compared to the competition. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will be keen to build on this excellent momentum to keep up the pressure on their direct rivals for the championship.