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Norris Takes Pole as Grid Penalties Shake Up 2025 Monaco Grand Prix Line-up
McLaren’s Lando Norris will start from pole position at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix after delivering a blistering lap of 1:09.954 during qualifying. He narrowly beat local hero Charles Leclerc of Ferrari by just over a tenth of a second, while teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri secured third.
The starting order was altered significantly after multiple penalties were applied. Lewis Hamilton, who had originally qualified fourth, was handed a three-place grid drop for blocking Max Verstappen in Q1. This pushes the Red Bull driver up to fourth, with Hamilton now starting from seventh.
Haas driver Oliver Bearman suffered the biggest setback, receiving a ten-place grid penalty for overtaking under red flag conditions in practice. He will now start from the back of the grid in 20th. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll also received multiple penalties but retains his position in 19th due to Bearman’s demotion.
Mercedes had a difficult session. Rookie Kimi Antonelli crashed out in Q1, and George Russell faced a power unit issue in Q2, leaving them 15th and 14th respectively.
In a bid to spice up the notoriously processional Monaco race, the FIA has introduced a mandatory two-stop strategy for this year’s event. Drivers must now use at least three different tyre sets and two different compounds during the race if dry conditions prevail.
2025 Monaco Grand Prix – Revised Starting Grid:
- Lando Norris (McLaren-Mercedes)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren-Mercedes)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin-Mercedes)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Esteban Ocon (Haas-Ferrari)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT)
- Alexander Albon (Williams-Mercedes)
- Carlos Sainz Jr. (Williams-Mercedes)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT)
- Nico Hülkenberg (Kick Sauber-Ferrari)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber-Ferrari)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine-Renault)
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine-Renault)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas-Ferrari)
The race gets underway at 2:00 PM local time on Sunday, May 25. With strategy playing a bigger role than ever and penalties shuffling the grid, the streets of Monte Carlo are set for an intriguing contest.
