McLaren driver Lando Norris powered through a tactical and chaotic Monaco Grand Prix to claim his second win of the 2025 season, narrowing the gap in the championship standings to just three points behind teammate Oscar Piastri.

The British driver’s strong performance followed a standout qualifying session where he clocked a track-record lap for pole, then remained composed under pressure throughout Sunday’s two-stop race. His victory marked McLaren’s first Monaco win since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown credited Norris’s mental reset as a key factor behind his rising form.

“I think he is just very focused,” said Brown. “He's got a great chance of the championship, and he's obviously had a few struggles in qualifying in Q3. So, to get it done here in Q3 at Monte Carlo was awesome.”

Brown explained how he encouraged Norris to ease up on his pursuit of perfection and instead focus on execution.

“Just focus and kind of not worry about if you don't get in the perfect lap, do the best you can and give it another go,” he said. “And that's exactly what happened, right? We went out and we got two laps in with both our guys. And the first one was really good, but it wasn't good enough so the second time he got it done.”

Norris showed a more composed reaction post-qualifying, in contrast to his usual self-critical tendencies. That calm carried over to race day, where he fended off fierce competition to finish 3.131 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Piastri completing the podium in third. Max Verstappen came in fourth.

“It feels amazing,” said Norris. “It’s a long, grueling race, but good fun. We could push for quite a lot of the race, but in the last quarter, I was nervous with Charles behind and Max ahead. But we won in Monaco and it doesn't matter how you win. For me, an amazing weekend. This is what I dreamed of when I was a kid, so I achieved one of my dreams.”

With eight races completed in a 24-race season, Piastri leads with 161 points, followed by Norris with 158 and Verstappen at 136. In the constructors’ standings, McLaren sits firmly at the top with 319 points, ahead of Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.

“At the end of the day, we lost this race yesterday,” said Leclerc. “We should have done a better job. Lando did a better job and deserved to win. I achieved my childhood dream last year, but not this time. I did not expect this really and it has been a good weekend overall, but I wish I had won!”

Piastri acknowledged that it was a tough round, but he remained optimistic.

“Overall, I am happy with another podium. The margins are so fine and if this is a bad weekend, it's not going too badly.”

This year’s Monaco Grand Prix featured more drama than usual, partly due to a newly implemented rule requiring two pit stops. This led to strategic maneuvering among teams, some of which drew criticism for so-called “gamesmanship” tactics.

Williams boss James Vowles admitted his team instructed drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon to slow down and hold up traffic to help their teammates. RB rookies Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson employed similar tactics to secure top-10 finishes.

George Russell, who crossed the chicane to avoid contact with Albon’s slowed car, was penalized after choosing not to return the place.

“That's Monaco and it's how the game goes,” said Russell. “The only way to score points. You are damned if you are and damned if you don't. It's a bit of a flawed system.”

Verstappen, who made a late stop from the lead with worn tires, voiced his frustration.

“You can't race here anyway so it doesn't matter what you do – one stop or 10 stops. I was in the lead and my tires were completely gone and you still can't pass! I had nothing to lose staying out. A big gap behind and I think I could have done four stops and still been in the same position. That's Monaco for you. Qualifying is really important. In the end, P4 was the maximum we could do.”

Asked about the mandatory two-stop format, Williams drivers said they disliked how it shaped the race outcome. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff simply shook his head and said, “I don’t like it.”