F1 | Monaco GP – Key takeaways: McLaren triumphs, Ferrari nearly pulls it off. Ferrari comes close to victory in Monaco but settles for second behind a dominant McLaren.

The second European round of the F1 World Championship has concluded. Now attention turns to Barcelona. The Monaco GP, despite the mandatory double pit stop, saw the top four positions remain unchanged. Lando Norris, with his McLaren, won in Monaco ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and his teammate Oscar Piastri. Let’s review the key moments of the Monaco GP.

Start with a scare
Lando Norris took a big risk right from the start. The British McLaren driver locked up at the first corner, nearly putting himself out of contention and forcing Charles Leclerc to lift off to avoid contact.

On the first lap, it wasn’t just Norris who had a close call. Gabriel Bortoleto made a great overtake on Andrea Kimi Antonelli. However, the Italian Mercedes driver retook the position before the tunnel, and Bortoleto ended up in the wall. The incident triggered a Virtual Safety Car.

Pit stop shuffle
Some drivers took advantage of the Virtual Safety Car to get the first of the two mandatory pit stops out of the way. Tsunoda, Gasly, Bearman, and Bortoleto all pitted on lap one.

Strategy games
This year in Monaco, all drivers were required to make two pit stops. From the early laps, Liam Lawson’s slower race pace was clear. The former Red Bull driver, taking advantage of the lack of overtaking zones, held up the group behind him, allowing his teammate Isack Hadjar to make both stops and still maintain sixth place.

The same strategy was used by the two Williams drivers. After some solid defending against Sainz, Albon was able to make two free pit stops. The two then swapped positions so that car #55 could also pit without losing places and stay in the points.

Mercedes disaster
Mercedes had a tough weekend. After a disastrous qualifying session — with Antonelli crashing in Q1 and Russell suffering an electrical issue — the Brackley team failed to recover in the race. Their strategy of waiting for a red flag or Safety Car didn’t pay off. Both Antonelli and Russell spent nearly the entire race stuck behind the two Williams cars.

George Russell only managed to pass Albon by cutting the corner after the tunnel. Even though he was instructed to give the position back, the British Mercedes driver chose to keep going and accept a penalty. The stewards handed him a drive-through penalty. With a few laps to go, Mercedes completed all mandatory pit stops, and Russell, despite the penalty, finished the Monaco GP in 11th place.

Ferrari’s magic narrowly missed in Monaco
Ferrari came close to winning the Monaco GP. Charles Leclerc tried until the last lap to stay with Norris but couldn’t find any overtaking opportunities. The Monegasque had to settle for second place. Hamilton finished the Monaco GP in fifth. However, the Maranello team can be pleased, as it appeared much more competitive than in recent outings.