To counter the usual dullness of Monaco, Formula 1 mandated two compulsory pit stops during the race. This significantly mixed up the strategies that teams followed throughout the event. With the obligation of a double stop, tyre management became less of a priority. Here in Monaco, where degradation is low, we witnessed a faster-paced race.
Both McLaren and Ferrari cars chose to start on the yellow tyre. In hindsight, Charles Leclerc could have attempted the red compound, though it was believed it would be too tricky to manage on track. The softest compound did offer a 70 centimeter advantage in the launch phase. Despite this, Charles Leclerc got off to a great start, but Lando Norris held his ground with a late-braking move on the edge.
Leclerc mirrors Norris’s strategy
Early on, there was an immediate virtual safety car due to Gabriel Bortoleto’s crash into the barriers. None of the front runners responded to it, except Yuki Tsunoda, who switched to the Hard tyre for a long middle stint. The main reason no one else pitted was that the virtual safety car came too early, and no one wanted to risk losing multiple positions.
Even with the new double-stop rule, track position remains too valuable. Up front, Lando Norris set the pace, with only Charles Leclerc able to match it. Oscar Piastri struggled more with car balance and was slow enough to be under threat from Max Verstappen, who was on the Hard compound. The Monegasque driver asked over the radio what they wanted him to do.
They informed him they would follow Plan B to mirror Lando Norris. Ferrari decided to entirely cover Norris’s race strategy. The so-called “Plan A” wasn’t necessarily about compound choice but was aimed at closely matching McLaren’s every move to mark Norris.
Fernando Alonso was the first of the lead group to stop, prompting a reaction from LEwis Hamilton. The Spaniard switched to a second set of Hards, and Ferrari feared the undercut, which had already proven effective. Hamilton boxed for Hards, and Norris followed soon after—a risky move since he was leading the field. Usually, the leader pits last to take advantage of any on-track events. This handed the lead to Charles Leclerc, who now, with clean air, could attempt an overcut—extending his stint a few laps to build a gap big enough to pit and rejoin ahead of Lando Norris.
Oscar Piastri also boxed for Hards. The Hard compound was widely used as it allowed long stints but was slower to warm up. The front tyres especially took several laps to reach optimal temperature, unlike the rears, which warmed quicker. The Hard also showed excessive graining, mainly because the front tyres stayed cooler. Charles Leclerc pitted two laps after Lando Norris but failed to close the necessary gap. He actually lost 1.5 seconds compared to the situation before the stop. As expected, Max Verstappen stayed out. Red Bull aimed to stretch the first Hard stint to exploit any virtual safety car or Safety Car opportunities.
The Dutchman was managing to hold the gap to the McLarens and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari SF-25. Under normal conditions, though, they couldn’t make up places. The goal was to stay out as long as possible, maintaining a gap that would allow pitting without dropping behind Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen eventually stopped on lap 28 for Mediums. The Briton from Ferrari was the last of the leading group.
That gave him enough margin over Fernando Alonso to make a “free” pit stop. With the Spaniard’s retirement, the margin grew further. However, stopping would have effectively gifted a stop to Max Verstappen ahead of him, opening the pit window for Oscar Piastri, then Charles Leclerc, and finally Lando Norris. Up until this point, all the leaders had only made one stop. Ferrari chose to wait before executing their second stop. Meanwhile, Verstappen was pushing to build a gap over Hamilton and secure a “free stop” of his own.
Leclerc has a tyre advantage in the final stint
Piastri was the first to stop for the second time, triggering a chain reaction. Ferrari responded immediately, calling in Charles Leclerc for another set of Mediums. Essentially, Ferrari didn’t do much to try and win the race—they merely shadowed McLaren, focusing more on defending than attacking.
Only in the final stint did they try something genuinely different from McLaren. After the stop, Lando Norris switched to Hards, while Ferrari chose Mediums. This compound difference meant that for a short phase, Charles Leclerc was significantly quicker than his opponent for the race win. However, the pace clearly wasn’t enough to enable an overtake on track.
Red Bull, by contrast, kept trying—staying out in hopes of a virtual safety car, Safety Car, or even a red flag (listed in order of likelihood). Max Verstappen pushed hard to enter Piastri’s pit window but was still losing two-tenths per sector on average to the McLaren driver. After several laps, Lewis Hamilton also stopped, switching to another set of yellow tyres.
They, too, avoided the red compound, which apparently lacked reliability. However, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion had been complaining for several laps about his left rear tyre, which had become a limiting factor. Near the end, Max Verstappen acted as a roadblock. Red Bull kept him out until the final lap before serving the second mandatory stop, hoping for a dramatic on-track event like a red flag.
By then, though, McLaren and Charles Leclerc had already closed the gap. Even with a virtual safety car or a safety car, the outcome wouldn’t have changed. They needed a red flag,, very unlikely, which never came. On the final lap, in clean air, Lando Norris set a 13.2s lap, compared to Charles Leclerc’s 15.2s. That single lap at the end of the race provides a valuable glimpse into true performance levels, often hidden by traffic during the race.
— see video above —
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