If the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix is usually an unusual race, the 2025 edition was even more so. The star of the pre-race discussion was undoubtedly the new rule mandating two pit stops. Everything was expected to happen: extreme strategies, pit stops on the first lap, and maybe even some real overtaking at the front. But in reality, none of that materialised. Among the top five, the only position change was Lewis Hamilton moving from seventh to fifth. The Ferrari driver had already gained the two positions before his first pit stop, so it was unrelated to the new rule that was specifically introduced for the Monte Carlo weekend.
In the midfield, however, we saw team games pushed beyond every limit, especially when two drivers from the same team were close together. Visa Cash App first, and then Williams, engaged in a strategic game of slowing down everyone behind to allow their teammates to complete not one but two pit stops. They even swapped positions and returned the favour by resuming the slowing down tactic. Nothing against them, to be clear – if the Federation said such behaviour was allowed, they were right to exploit what the track offered them. But the resulting spectacle was unworthy of the Monaco Grand Prix, which on Saturdays regularly provides one of the best days of Formula 1 in the entire season and a setting of increasingly high-level events. For context, the constant slowing down by these drivers – up to 4 seconds per lap slower than the car’s actual potential – allowed the top five, who weren’t blocked, to lap everyone else, almost all of them even twice. It is hard to blame George Russell who, after more than 50 laps stuck behind a very slow Williams, with the Mercedes pit wall inexplicably not having called him in for a pit stop, decided to go straight through the harbour chicane and take the position, knowing full well he would be penalised but not caring.
So what could be the artificial “movement” that avoids changing the rules which in fact really needed tweaking for the Monaco Grand Prix. Speaking of penalties, it is hard to understand how driving a car 4 seconds per lap slower with the clear intent of preventing overtaking does not fall under the regulation clause of “unnecessarily slow driving.” Many rules are enforced with varying strictness depending on the race and specific conditions, usually signalled in pre-race briefings by the stewards. It is truly unclear why the Federation did not implement something to address this issue over the weekend. But the whole idea of the double pit stop rule stems from an unwillingness to change the red flag regulation exclusively for Monaco. The 2024 Formula 1 edition was arguably the most boring in history, with a red flag on lap one allowing all drivers to change tyres and then complete the entire race without stopping again – removing even the only chance for some on-track action. Instead of banning tyre changes under red flags for Monaco, the decision was to do something “radical” in order to spice things up.
Only a layout change could help, but we will wait for the 2026 cars. The reality is that as long as the cars are this big, this fast, and this efficient in traction and braking, there is no hope of making the race more interesting – any kind of action is quite literally impossible. The only real solution would be to find a way, even if is extremely difficult, to modify the track layout, with an alternative route that offers at least one overtaking point. Of course, rerouting a track that winds through city streets is not easy, but given that an entire block of buildings has sprung up in front of the tunnel where there used to be open sea, it seems something could be done if there were the will. However, before considering such radical investments and changes, everyone will probably wait to see if the 2026 cars – with their active aerodynamics, electric power boosts, and other features – will offer a different kind of spectacle than the disgraceful one we saw this Sunday.
Looking back on Ferrari’s performance in Monaco, the weekend confirms the so-called technical “diagnosis”, as McLaren probably had a slight edge even in the race.
With all of the above in mind, it is difficult to draw any meaningful performance conclusions from the race, which said little to nothing in that respect. Looking at the weekend overall and the performance of the SF-25 single-seater, the impression – also based on pre-weekend expectations – is that Monaco confirmed what has been observed so far about Ferrari’s issues in this first part of the 2025 Formula 1 championship. The car was able to match McLaren’s pace, even in the slow sections, once the setup compromises and limitations on ride height and suspension softness were removed, which is no small factor. Charles Leclerc was incredibly fast on his home streets, and a surprise highlight for Ferrari on Saturday in the qualifying session was its effective use of the ultra-soft C6 compound – a tyre that created problems for many others, including Max Verstappen.
It seems the real unexpected takeaway for Ferrari from the Principality is that they may have finally understood how to “switch on” soft compounds in qualifying runs. Since in Monaco the tyre-suspension interaction is crucial for this, the progress seen could be the first real major input from technical director Loic Serra at Maranello. We will see in just a few days at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona if this information is confirmed. Overall, Lando Norris’s McLaren seemed to have a slight edge in race pace, with Charles Leclerc closing in only after the Briton caught up with the Red Bull RB21 of Max Verstappen – particularly in the slower, twistier section where McLaren’s ability to soften the suspension while keeping the platform efficient, as seen several times this year, was apparent.
Still, there is no truly meaningful lap time data to back up what was just an impression from watching live telemetry. What is certain is that Lando Norris leaves Monaco with a significant personal boost: a shot of self-confidence and championship points that will need to be confirmed but could weigh heavily against teammate Oscar Piastri, whom he beat for the second consecutive race.
The Spanish Grand Prix will now be the truth test race. After such an unusual weekend comes a crucial moment of the 2025 Formula 1 season. The round at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, an ultra-selective track for aerodynamics and car quality, plus the introduction of the new technical directive on wing flexibility. It is a big unknown and a key turning point in the season that all teams have been eagerly anticipating for weeks. We will see if and how it changes the pecking order and whether this season still holds some surprises.
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