{"id":10607142,"date":"2025-05-27T12:05:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T10:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acm.mc\/monaco-a-relance-le-championnat\/"},"modified":"2025-05-27T15:49:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T13:49:08","slug":"monaco-has-revived-the-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acm.mc\/en\/monaco-has-revived-the-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"Monaco has revived the championship!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Formula 1 TAG Heuer Grand Prix de Monaco 2025, won on Sunday by Lando Norris (McLaren), has completely revived the World Championship, as well as generating huge popular enthusiasm around the drivers, and especially local hero Charles Leclerc (2nd).<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018We weren’t very optimistic because of our car’s difficulties in the slow corners this season,\u2019<\/em> Leclerc recalled in the press conference, \u2018so to take 2nd place is still a good result. Even if I can never be satisfied with 2nd place,\u2019<\/em> added the Ferrari driver, who has been in great demand all week. His team-mate, Lewis Hamilton (5th), who knows the Monaco circuit perfectly, was also positive: \u2018It’s the best car I’ve ever had here in Monaco\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u2018In Monaco, we know that the final classification is often the same as in qualifying, so it’s good to be here again because I had a very complicated start to the weekend. I didn’t feel comfortable in the car, I was struggling to find the right balance\u2019<\/em>, explained Oscar Piastri, still leader of the World Championship without ever having been able to join the fight for pole position on Saturday or victory on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Three points between Piastri and Norris<\/strong><\/p>\n

The main consequence of this weekend in Monaco, round 8 of the 2025 championship, is that the title race is back on track in several respects. Not only has Norris come back to within three points of his Australian team-mate, who has won twice as often as him in 2025 (4 wins to 2), but the main thing is elsewhere. The young Englishman showed twice in 24 hours that he was stronger than some people thought or said.<\/p>\n

Norris set a fantastic time at the best moment, at the end of Q3, to break the track record that had stood since 2019 (Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes). He followed that up with a perfect start at 3pm on Sunday, then put up a great fight at the end of the race when he was being slowed by Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and his Pirelli tyres were deteriorating rapidly.<\/p>\n

\u2018I could see that Max was waiting for a red flag to win and that he was going to wait until the last moment to change tyres a second time. I couldn’t stay too close to him, so I was under threat from Charles. It worked out well and it’s doubly satisfying for me to have taken pole position on Saturday and to have managed to win this Grand Prix on Sunday, which I dreamt of winning when I was a kid,\u2019<\/em> said the young Englishman about his 6th F1 victory, his second in 2025.<\/p>\n

Ferrari 28 – Mercedes 0, game on!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The other championship revival came in the Constructors’ World Championship, with Scuderia Ferrari taking 28 points back from Mercedes on Sunday, who completely blew their Monaco stopover. And since Verstappen, however strong he is, is the only driver to score for Red Bull Racing every weekend, anything remains possible in the race for the teams’ world title, far behind McLaren, with six wins from eight races.<\/p>\n

Finally, in the symbolic battle for the title of best rookie, Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) took points away from Italian prodigy Kimi Antonelli. Fifth on the grid, thanks to Hamilton’s penalty, the young Frenchman took 6th place, first of the \u2018others\u2019, one lap behind the top teams, and didn’t make the slightest mistake on such a demanding track that is unforgiving of anyone. That’s very encouraging, as is most of what he’s been doing since the start of the season.<\/p>\n

Finally, a word about the MGP Fan Zone. It was packed every day, and thousands of fans watched the drivers exploits for free on the giant screen in the Place d’Armes. Meanwhile, in the paddock, a host of VIPs also enjoyed their Monaco weekend, including Naomi Campbell, Zin\u00e9dine Zidane, Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, Antoine Dupont and businessmen Bernard Arnault (LVMH) and Jeff Bezos (Amazon). It was a weekend of sport and festivities, lit up by a host of goodies.<\/p>\n

There will be lots of other occasions in the coming years, because the Formula 1 TAG Heuer Grand Prix de Monaco<\/strong> contract, once again perfectly organised by Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) behind the scenes, and superbly managed by its volunteer stewards on the track, has been renewed for several years.<\/p>\n

Join us from 4 to 7 June 2026<\/strong> for the 83rd edition of the most legendary of Grand Prix events. Stay tuned for information on the opening of the Ticket Office<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n