Monaco GP talking points: FIA rule change fails to have desired impact

Lando Norris danced through narrow streets to claim win but Leclerc rues missed opportunity in qualifying

McLaren's Lando Norris on his way to victory at the Monaco Grand Prix. AFP

The Monaco Grand Prix – where overtaking is more myth than manoeuvre.

Formula One's most iconic street circuit promises a spectacle but more often than not delivers more procession than passion.

This year, the FIA introduced a new rule: Two mandatory pit stops, to introduce a little chaos to proceedings.

And while McLaren’s Lando Norris danced through the narrow streets to claim a win, fans and pundits alike were left wondering whether the new rules had the desired impact.

Here are the main talking points from Monte Carlo.

Norris grabs his chance

The McLaren driver won the Monaco Grand Prix for the first time on Sunday, and said: “This is what I dreamt of when I was a kid, so I achieved one of my dreams.”

A commanding race from start to finish, this was Norris’ second win this season, after the opening race in Australia, and McLaren’s first win in Monaco since Lewis Hamilton took the chequered flag in 2008.

Having snatched pole position from Charles Leclerc in qualifying on Saturday, Norris was always the favourite to win, managing to do so despite a nervy ending.

The Briton trailed Max Verstappen in the closing stages as the Dutchman opted to stay out as long as possible in hope of a red flag before pitting in the penultimate lap.

With Verstappen leading, Leclerc was able to close the gap on Norris and apply the pressure. Nonetheless, Norris kept calm and, when Verstappen pitted, took his chance to clinch victory.

Norris is now just three points behind his teammate and current championship leader Oscar Piastri. The Australian finished third in Monaco, ensuring McLaren’s first double podium in Monaco since 2007.

Are Ferrari improving?

Ferrari’s speed this weekend came as a surprise to many, including Ferrari. After topping the three practice sessions, Leclerc just missed out on pole position.

Having suffered with low-speed corners in previous races, Ferrari believed they would suffer again in Monaco. Instead, the car performed well, and Leclerc was left annoyed they couldn’t do better in qualifying.

“I don’t quite know why we are so fast in slow speed suddenly, but we’ll analyse that after the weekend,” Leclerc said after Saturday's qualifying.

Asked on Sunday whether he was happy with second place, a downcast Leclerc replied “not really”, saying that the race was lost in qualifying. “We should have done a better job.”

Ferrari can't run the SF-25 close to the ground as it increases the risk of the car bottoming out excessively. These issues were not as exposed in Monaco as at other tracks, hence a better performance.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton secured his best result in a Ferrari, coming home fifth, but the Briton still found it hard to see the positives.

“The races here are generally, unless you're first and in the lead, even when you're in the lead, it's not that fun. Just a nice reward at the end, but other than that, anything but first is kind of empty.”

Did the new rules make an impact?

Since 1950, Monaco has traditionally been a one-stop track. The race has been won from pole position on 32 occasions, which makes for a pretty boring race.

In a bid to spice up the race, the FIA introduced a new rule. All drivers must use at least three different sets of tyres, meaning a minimum of two mandatory pit stops.

A narrow track with few opportunities to overtake, the rule was supposed to stir things up, bring team tactics into play, give the fans something to cheer about.

The truth is, nothing changed; the top four who started on the grid finished in the same order at the end.

“You can't race here,” said an exasperated Verstappen. “It doesn't matter what you do. One stop, 10 stops.”

Red Bull's Max Verstappen tried a different strategy to his rivals, bit it ultimately failed to pay off. Reuters

Red Bull strategy doesn't pay off

Red Bull were aware that Monaco “was not their track” and were not hopeful coming into this weekend. All the mechanical low-speed corners were simply going to highlight the limitations of their machinery.

To offset this, Red Bull tried four-time world champion Verstappen on a different strategy. The team started the Dutchman on the hard tyre, while the rest of the top three opted for mediums. On his first stop, Verstappen switched to the medium and ran for as long as possible before pitting on the penultimate lap of the race. It was evident that the team were hoping for some chaos or a red flag, but it never materialised. It was just a straightforward race.

Asked about his strategy, Verstappen said: “We could have pitted sooner, but then you just sit there in fourth anyway.”

It seems no matter what you try, the best strategy for winning in Monaco is to ace qualifying.

Hadjar continues to impress

Both Racing Bulls finished in the points, with Isack Hadjar grabbing sixth place.

The weekend had started poorly for the French-Algerian when he collided with the barrier in his second practice session. In his third practice session, he managed only 17th place.

Hadjar admitted he went into qualifying feeling low in confidence, and yet he pushed through to earn a career-best finish that became P5 after Lewis Hamilton suffered a penalty.

On Sunday, Hadjar was grateful for the perfect execution of the team’s strategy. Teammate Liam Lawson held up the pack and slowed down the race to allow Hadjar to make two comfortable pit stops.

A great drive from the rookie ensured a smooth finish and more points. Hadjar continues to excel, and he was quick to praise his teammate, who finished eighth.

“Liam helped me massively, it was great teamwork and also he helped me, but he also got points, so I'm really happy for him,” said Hadjar.