Race 8 - 2025 Monaco GP

[Nitrodaze]

https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6253f6cf66c7304e089e44d5/62e94295ea2fabd1c2eb811f_blog-monaco-grand-prix-guide-fb.webp


We head back to the glitzy principality of Monaco. A mandatory two-stop strategy has been imposed for this race. The teams must run at least two tyre compounds. The supersoft C6 tyres are also available this weekend, but it was tricky to use at Imola. Chances are, it may be seen only during qualifying and free practice.

Charles LeClerc won this race last time, but the SF25 does not seem to have the potency of its previous incarnation. All indications are that there will be a new winner of the Monaco GP, but who?

The weather forecast is suggesting that it may be a dry race, with temperatures ranging from 16 to 18 degrees Celsius. Sunny with spells of overcast. A Mercedes-friendly weather, you might say.

McLaren is showing vulnerability in qualifying. Hence, this is a race that may be won by any one of the front runners. Hence, an Antonelli win is very much on the cards. McLaren would be seeking to bounce back from their thrashing by Verstappen and Redbull at Imola. Verstappen would be seeking to eat further into the Piastri championship lead. The driver's championship continues to be on the balance, with four drivers very much in contention. Piastri may be in the lead of the championship, but he is by no means comfortably ahead. Monaco presents a possibility that a new twist may emerge this weekend.

Verstappen showed Piastri he still has much to learn at Imola. A painful lesson for the young Australian. But the painful lessons are the ones that stick the longest in the mind. More importantly, Verstappen showcased why he is the most relevant racer in this ground-effect era. Unfortunately, McLaren is looking like their own worst enemy as they were once again slow to reading and reacting to the moments of the race at Imola.
To some extent, they gifted Verstappen an easy win when they could have made it as awkward as possible to see what was possible. Monaco is unforgiving, hence, any weakness would be greatly exploited by the competition. Therefore, all teams would need to be at their best operationally or face disappointment at this race.

Ferrari showed flashes of great race pace at Imola. One wonders if the street circuit of Monaco may favour the SF25. Hence, we cannot rule out another LeClerc win this weekend.

[F1-analysis.com]

Article on what makes the Monaco circuit so unique in F1. From Scuba Divers to its pathetically slow average speed.

https://f1-analysis.com/2025/05/20/why-the-monaco-f1-circuit-is-unique/

[airshifter]

It's looking like at least three teams have a shot at pole. I was expecting Max and Oscar to be shooting it out for the top step, but it looks like Lando and Ferrari are in there with a shot as well, and right now Charles seems to be very strong.

Since the track is still getting faster who gets cut each session might be decided by track position and timing as much as skill. It's going to be hectic the first couple sessions.

At this point it looks like just about anything could happen towards the front. Being Monaco, there is a good chance that it's not who we think it will be.

[airshifter]

And to add to the above....

Though I really don't like the artificial chaos created by it, the mandatory two stop race could really shake things up. With the chances of safety cars being high, combined with the usual peril of track position at Monaco just about anything can happen.

I'm sure the teams spent a lot of time on various strategy scenarios, but it's hard to say if they could possibly cover everything properly. This race could easily be won buy a lesser team if luck comes their way.

[Nitrodaze]

Both Mercedes out in Q2, WHAT???

[Nitrodaze]

OH WOW, LANDOOOOOOO!
Norris on pole in what seemed like a guaranteed LeClerc pole. The driver's championship table seems set to have a shake-up by the end of this race.

[Matthew]

Really hoping the mandatory two-stop strategy makes the race more exciting. Last year’s Monaco GP was one of the most boring (https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/05/29/is-it-time-to-rethink-the-boring-f1-monaco-gp/), so it is good to see the FIA trying something new to mix things up. If you are interested, this isn't the first time F1 has used track-specific rules. This article (https://www.fanamp.com/f1-news/monaco-becomes-two-stop-race-and-other-unique-f1-track-rules) has some interesting examples from the past. Do you think this will actually change the race or will it still be the usual Monaco procession?

[Nitrodaze]

Article on what makes the Monaco circuit so unique in F1. From Scuba Divers to its pathetically slow average speed.

https://f1-analysis.com/2025/05/20/why-the-monaco-f1-circuit-is-unique/

Nice, that was a great read. Well done :bounce:

[Nitrodaze]

Really hoping the mandatory two-stop strategy makes the race more exciting. Last year’s Monaco GP was one of the most boring (https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/05/29/is-it-time-to-rethink-the-boring-f1-monaco-gp/), so it is good to see the FIA trying something new to mix things up. If you are interested, this isn't the first time F1 has used track-specific rules. This article (https://www.fanamp.com/f1-news/monaco-becomes-two-stop-race-and-other-unique-f1-track-rules) has some interesting examples from the past. Do you think this will actually change the race or will it still be the usual Monaco procession?

Interesting article. I think we talked about these at those race weekends. Monaco needs something to remain relevant with these fat boy F1 cars racing on it these days. It would be more interesting with the narrower 2026 cars l think.

[airshifter]

Really hoping the mandatory two-stop strategy makes the race more exciting. Last year’s Monaco GP was one of the most boring (https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/05/29/is-it-time-to-rethink-the-boring-f1-monaco-gp/), so it is good to see the FIA trying something new to mix things up. If you are interested, this isn't the first time F1 has used track-specific rules. This article (https://www.fanamp.com/f1-news/monaco-becomes-two-stop-race-and-other-unique-f1-track-rules) has some interesting examples from the past. Do you think this will actually change the race or will it still be the usual Monaco procession?

I personally wouldn't be surprised at all to see some very early stops, as in within a few laps of the green flag. Especially for those out of say the top 5 positions. Pit really early the first time, get clean air and hope to set your own pace faster than the race leader. It also throws the curve ball of being out of sequence if a SC gets sent on track, and possibly the ability to just stay on track and gain position.

At most tracks the entire race picture is different. At Monaco rolling the dice has a lot of potential to pay off, since drivers can rarely pass on track.

I also somewhat expect teams to sacrifice a driver to aid the other. The lower ranked driver can hold up the pack for the lead driver to pit, and with two stops to make it could happen more than once even.


But as much as I hate the usual procession at this race, I almost hate even more that the drivers that got it right for qually might just get screwed by crazy strategy calls, and not be rewarded for their efforts over one lap. So they have taken what Monaco is known for.... being most of the race takes place on Saturday..... and tossed it aside for a new gimic to make it more exciting. If may well just be a lottery ticket, and the drivers that perform best might not be the ones that come out on top.

[N. Jones]

What junk.

[F1nKS]

If something wild had happened in the last third of the race, it could have been an interesting race. But it didn't. It was just Monaco, with no overtaking.

[Nitrodaze]

What junk.

The two stop idea was a wet fart after all. You have to feel for Russell as the Williams cars drove as slowly as was legally possible to keep in the points. It was a royal procession.

[Nitrodaze]

If something wild had happened in the last third of the race, it could have been an interesting race. But it didn't. It was just Monaco, with no overtaking.

I thought some clever strategy may have shuffled things up at some point. Unfortunately, it became a race of two halves; the sharp end with four cars chasing each other, and the slow train led around the track by the Williams cars. Of course, there was the lone wolf Hamilton, a good distance away from both of these groups. Verstappen tried a few tricks to get the McLarens to tangle up with the Ferrari of LeClerc, but they were wise to his intentions.

Williams is the best strategic team on the grid at the mo. I can imagine Toto sitting at his station, not impressed with James Vowles and his drivers. Ferrari can be proud of their showing this weekend. But LeClercc would be very disappointed not to win it back to back.

[N. Jones]

I do love this track, but that was such a pile of junk.
Oh well.

[Nitrodaze]

I do love this track, but that was such a pile of junk.
Oh well.

Thankfully, Spain is only 5 days away. It seems like it may be a revealing weekend as the rear wing regulation comes into effect. I am curious to see which team would be most affected by it. Of course, like the two-stop idea, it could also turn out to be a non-event.

[Nitrodaze]

After each race, I normally listen to the team radio of the leading top five drivers to gauge what their race was like from inside the cockpit. Of the five at Monaco, the radio communication between Hamilton and Adami struck me the most. The happy dialogue of Imola was replaced by a very dejected and cold exchange after the Monaco GP. It was more telling when Hamilton asked Adami if he was upset with him and got radio silence back.


This caused me to go back and watch the race again purely to see Hamilton's race relative to the four ahead. And one of the things that occurred to me was how obvious it was that he was not pushing to attempt to close in on Verstapen ahead. I think Adami felt Hamilton should have been, at least at the 30 minutes gap to Verstappen, to put some pressure on Verstappen's second stop. The gap created by Hamilton gave Verstappen the freedom to experiment with trying to get the McLaren car to tangle with LeClerc in some form of accident that would bring out the safety car. Which would have made it possible for him to win the race. After clearing the two cars between himself and Verstappen, l expected to see the usual Hamilton "Never Give Up" pace, but it never happened. Rather, he appeared to be casually driving round contented to finish fifth. Which was very uncharacteristic of Hamilton.

So what's going on there? I asked myself. Firstly, it seemed like a quiet protest to the Ferrari pitwall for the mis-information that caused him to start the race in 7th rather than 4th, where he qualified. Apart from China, this was one of Hamilton's strongest qualifying performances since joining the Scuderia team.

Hence, we have a situation where each side has a good reason to be upset with the other. That said, Hamilton just did enough to salvage 5th, but did not do a stellar job of trying to maximise his chances. Which was disappointing to watch. In the scheme of things, we are talking about a few more points, not a race win. Hence, l can see why that would not be of particular importance to Hamilton, who is only interested in winning or a chance for a shot at the win. While it was good to see LeClerc amid the McLarens, the race showed that the Ferrari is still not good enough to win a race, even in the short street circuit of Monaco.

One very noticeable occurrence was how close Hamilton was to LeClerc in qualifying at this race. 0.105s, which was significantly closer than his usual 0.350s gaps from LeClerc in previous races. He is making good progress, but it is obvious that he still has to make some compromises to how he would normally drive, in order to get the most that he can from the SF25.

Hamilton wants more rear-end stability, so he can drive the SF25 more naturally. I think a stable rear end would also benefit LeClerc. Let's see what Ferrari brings to Spain. An average or poor showing in Spain may trigger the switch of development from the SF25 to the SF26.

[airshifter]

Well, so much for two stops spicing things up. It did have some impact, but the end result was seeing the cars going slower and slower, with a couple teams taking advantage of the situation to do what they could on a track you can rarely make a pass on.

It might have been interesting up front if not for the McLarens having the advantage of two cars in the fight. Leclerc had some solid pace, and Max wasn't much slower. But Lando had a great race, as did Oscar, and they could cover off any tactics by the others. It was clear that Lando wasn't liking the pressure when Max was backing him into Charles, but he managed to get through it and take a win. It does leave me wondering if or when McLaren might have to designate a #1 driver. With Oscar and Lando taking points off of each other, they leave the chance that Max can sneak back into the hunt for the WDC. And though I personally hate when teams play that #1 game, unless the gap opens up they might have to do it unless they want to risk the WDC. I hope it doesn't happen, as I think Oscar is being given a chance to gain more confidence and assert himself within the team. Regardless of who comes out on top, I think the challenge of a strong driver in both seats is good for the drivers as well.... there is always some pressure to deal with.

Well done by both Racing Bulls and Williams to use the new rule to get both cars in the points. It was almost assumed it would happen with at least one team, and didn't make for great racing, but points are points. Good race by Ocon as well.

I don't think I've heard Alonso that angry on the radio. And it was a bad call, and obviously NOT what he was looking for. As it turns out it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway since his engine let go.



The borefest remains. I've wished for years they would just take Monaco off the calendar. The history isn't worth the poor racing on track. It might be interesting if it was simply a short time trial and the cars were encouraged to "win it or bin it" with another format, but it would likely also trash a lot of equipment along the way.