Monaco Grand Prix: Controlled victory for Norris

Max Verstappen did everything he could to rattle pole-sitter Lando Norris, but this time the psychological warfare was not enough.

Lando Norris got off to a good start but overshot the first corner, immediately attracting Charles Leclerc. The home driver would have been in position to overtake, but there simply wasn't room for it - such is Monaco. Not to mention that just before the tunnel entrance, Gabriel Bortoleto crashed his car into the wall, triggering the VSC and the first pit stops. After that, the race flowed quietly and without incident until Pierre Gasly crashed the Alpine into Yuki Tsunoda. The Frenchman had no continuation, but we got a lengthy yellow flag phase in return. To be honest, the mandatory two pit stops did not save the Monaco Grand Prix from monotony, the next noteworthy event being Fernando Alonso's malfunctioning and retiring Aston Martin.

By then, we had passed the halfway mark, but not much had changed since the start; Norris, Leclerc, and Piastri were still leading the field. The race was mainly colored by tactical battles, as we unfortunately did not see any real racing. This is, of course, Monaco, where a mistake, an accident, or an unexpected factor could stir the cards and overturn everything at any moment... Verstappen played on this, stretching his second pit stop to the last moment, playing with Norris's nerves. However, since nothing unexpected happened and Lando Norris remained calm, he ultimately won the Monaco Grand Prix fairly easily ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri.

Photo: ESPN