2025 Monaco Grand Prix

Essentially, Lando Norris won the Monaco Grand Prix back on Saturday with his superbly composed pole position. Even talking to him before the cars had started running, there seemed an extra calm and assuredness about him, as if he’d somehow diffused the mounting pressure from his sometimes-wayward performances in the first few races as his team-mate racked up four consecutive wins and moved ahead of him in the championship. Was he concerned about the potential randomness which might have been introduced by the new two-stop stipulation for Monaco?

“It’s something I don’t need to be over-thinking,” he said. “Just let whatever happens happen. I’ve been working with the team on my qualifying. I know what I need to focus on. Just takes time and work from both halves. No needless worries.”

Oscar Piastri meanwhile for once seemed the more concerned about things. He’d just come out of the pre-weekend strategy briefing and “I’m still trying to untwist my head,” from all the things he felt he needed to be thinking about. But one thing he did keep repeating, almost like a mantra, was that if you could get pole, you’d have done 90% of the job of winning Monaco, same as always, regardless of the strategic implications. That target of pole seemed to loom very large in his thoughts from a long way out.