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Jun 04, 2025

Throwing in a little Sunday spanner - The Athletic

Monaco Grand Prix 109 New Updates Lando Norris snatched a magnificent pole position in a crucial qualifying session, ahead of Sunday’s iconic Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. McLaren are under

Monaco

Grand Prix

109 New Updates

Lando Norris snatched a magnificent pole position in a crucial qualifying session, ahead of Sunday’s iconic Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo.

McLaren are under pressure to respond via championship leader Oscar Piastri and Norris, after Max Verstappen won at Imola last weekend.

And the Brit’s historically quick lap in the final seconds of Q3 saw him overtake Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the Monegasque’s home streets.

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Monaco GP qualifying: Lando Norris earns last-gasp pole ahead of Charles Leclerc

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is not sure what Monaco’s new two-stop rule will mean for tomorrow’s grand prix — and it does not sound like it’s an immediate concern either.

Even in terms of tire selection and management, it seems. Here is Horner’s view, speaking to Sky Sports during yesterday’s practice sessions:

💬 “You always want to qualify as hard as you can and then work out whatever Sunday throws at us. The two stops could be a bit of a lottery. It depends on safety cars and weather, tactics…

“It’s going to keep the strategists flat out and adds another dimension to the race. That’s what it was designed to do.”

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Good morning from Monaco! The English writer, William Somerset Maugham, once called Monaco “a sunny place for shady people,” which I feel has always befitted F1 rolling into town.

But today is one of my favorite days of the entire F1 season, as we get to watch qualifying around the streets of the principality.

Yes, qualifying is all-important here. More so than at any other track due to the lack of overtaking opportunities.

It also offers the chance to see the drivers facing the ultimate test, going as fast as possible between — and often up against — the walls, all in pursuit of the best lap time. Why won’t we see that in the race?

Due to the need to manage their tires and wanting to ensure pit stops are kept to a minimum, it’s normal in Monaco for the leaders to lap several seconds slower than they are capable of; backing up the field.

It’s so hard to overtake in Monaco that it can be an effective strategy to manage the race at the very front. We do have the question mark over tomorrow's grand prix thanks to the new, minimum two-stop strategy rule.

But we should still embrace and enjoy Monaco Saturday, particularly in the closing stages of Q3. It should be a thriller.

As for the teams’ championship, McLaren is already asking the question of its rivals: do you want to keep trying to catch up this season. or turn your full focus to the 2026 regulation changes?

Williams says it is comfortable enough with its start to make that switch — although some significant changes to regulations on flexible wings which will come in for Spain next weekend could severely alter the trends of 2025.

The lead is now 132 points, while a ludicrous 124 of Red Bull’s 131 points have been earned by Max Verstappen.

Every team is on the board, with Sauber’s six points leaving it in last place heading to Monte Carlo — just a point behind Alpine.

Oscar Piastri may have been undone by Max Verstappen in Italy, but his lead at the top of the drivers’ standings survived.

There is a clear order now and Verstappen is arguably on the fringe of the genuine challengers. At least Ferrari’s pair can be happy with a slight improvement after Imola.

Despite an excellent qualifying last weekend, veteran Fernando Alonso remains without a point so far this season.

The same goes for Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Franco Colapinto, who has taken over from Jack Doohan (also point-less) at Alpine since Imola.

We are rattling through the races in 2025, with Monaco in the middle of a triple-header to kick off the European season.

A trip to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix is also coming into view.

Make sure these are all in your diary:

Not to labor the point but once this weekend is done, we will be a third of the way through the season.

We are here for all your second screen needs and F1 insights, but we love watching sport and we know live pictures have their place too.

So here’s where you can watch the track narratives unfold over the course of the Monaco sessions, alongside our live coverage:

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F1’s European debut for the year was only last weekend with the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix around Imola — and now we are straight into the carnage of Monaco.

With FP1 and FP2 in the bag yesterday, attention switches to the remaining sessions.

They start today with the final hour of free practice. FP3 starts at 6:30 a.m. on the east coast, so 3:30 a.m. PT and 11:30 a.m. in the UK.

That is followed by one of the iconic sessions of the entire calendar: a crucial qualifying gets going with Q1 from 10 a.m. ET; that is 7 a.m. PT and 3 p.m. BST.

It all paves the way for tomorrow’s race, with lights out at 9 a.m. ET, 6 a.m. PT and 2 p.m. in the UK — all covered live on The Athletic.

It was 1950 that Formula One cars first tore around the streets of Monte Carlo.

That was the first outing for a race now deeply entwined in the rich history of the sport, and we have had a Monaco Grand Prix every year since 1955 — all except the COVID-stricken season of 2020.

Sure, the track width and current car size mean this race is of limited relevance to the rest of the season. Some would even dare call it a bit of a gimmick.

But it is Formula One’s gimmick and for most romantics, you only need to utter the words Sainte Devote, Portier, and Tabac, to bring some grade A nostalgia to the fore.

Here are the key circuit facts:

You can take a trip around the improbable majesty of Monte Carlo with Madeline Coleman’s circuit breakdown, linked below.

GO FURTHER

Monaco GP track breakdown: F1’s crown jewel of risk, precision and rich history

A happy Saturday to you all and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

Now then, if you thought Imola was a crucial qualifying, this will be something else.

On the way today will be 20 F1 cars bursting through the iconic Circuit de Monaco, trying to clock the fastest possible lap and boost their chances of a positive grand prix experience tomorrow.

Charles Leclerc is the Monegasque driver who enjoyed a memorable win on his home streets from pole last year. The Ferrari driver also topped both practice sessions yesterday.

Can he repeat the trick and bag pole today? We’re going find out — and have a lot of fun along the way.

Our correspondents Luke Smith and Madeline Coleman are trackside for every session and media conference this weekend, while the rest of The Athletic’s F1 writers and editors watch on and get involved in our extensive coverage.

So in short, don’t go anywhere — because we’ve got you covered from here.