Lando Norris Beats Leclerc to Win Monaco F1 GP 2025 as Verstappen, Hamilton Finish 4-5

The Monaco Grand Prix ended as it began with Lando Norris earning the checkered flag and Charles Leclerc finishing in second.

Oscar Piastri rounded out the podium.

It wasn't a wire-to-wire victory for Norris, who surrendered the lead with 25 laps remaining when he took a pit stop. But this was another year in which the general lack of drama at Monaco is likely to be a talking point.

Because of the track itself, overtaking is almost nonexistent now, and the new two-stop rule did little to add much excitement. Wondering when the big stars would take their stops provided some intrigue, but the actual in-race action remained limited.

Max Verstappen and Norris' battle for first place served as a prime example.

Fans were all too aware the four-time reigning F1 champion would need to make one more stop, which would inevitably allow Norris to move back into first place.

Norris, meanwhile, knew that too and thus had little incentive to do anything risky in second place. He was effectively running in first and held a healthy gap on Leclerc.

Verstappen finally did pit on the final lap, and the running order reflected the eventual finish.

The Monaco Grand Prix is a crown jewel of the Formula One season. It has so much history, and the visuals of the cars weaving through Monte Carlo and La Condamine are striking.

Sunday didn't make a compelling case for keeping it on the calendar, though.

Monaco is a race the Mercedes team will quickly want to put in the rear-view mirror for a much different reason.

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli started in 14th and 15th and neither made much headway from there. They weren't helped by a puzzling tactical approach to the race. Russell and Antonelli both waited an eternity to pit, and staying out on the track didn't help in terms of race position.

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is the next stop for Formula One with the Spanish Grand Prix on the horizon.

Verstappen has been dominant at the track with three straight victories, and this is the event where he registered his first F1 win. At 18, he was the youngest driver to earn a checkered flag in a Grand Prix in 2016.

Maybe next week is when Verstappen returns to the top of the podium.