Norris takes 'dream' Monaco win to close in on Piastri

Lando Norris realized a childhood dream as he won the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, and boosted his chances of achieving a Formula 1 title.

Norris claimed his first Grand Prix win since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and reduced his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri's lead from 13 points to three.

Starting on pole position, Norris locked up a wheel into the first corner but still managed to hold off last year's winner, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.

"It feels amazing. It's a long, grueling race, but good fun," Norris said. "This is what I dream of. This is what I did dream of when I was a kid."

Leclerc finished second after closing in on Norris late in the race. Piastri came in third and defending champion Max Verstappen fourth, with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton a distant fifth.

Verstappen was the leader on track until the second-to-last lap but only because he had yet to make his mandatory second pit stop under a rule change introduced in an attempt to spice up the Monaco Grand Prix, where overtaking is almost impossible.

Verstappen was almost certain to end the race fourth, no matter when he stopped, so he eased off, slowing down Norris and allowing Leclerc and Piastri to catch up. Verstappen seemed to be trying to pressure Norris into a costly mistake, or maybe hoping for a red-flag stoppage which could have allowed him a free tire change while keeping the lead.

Norris said the end of the race was a "little bit nervous with Charles close behind and Max ahead, but we won in Monaco, so it doesn't matter how you win, I guess."

Despite predictions otherwise, the rule had little overall impact on the results, except for a few cases of teams seemingly slowing down one car to benefit a teammate.

"We lost the race yesterday," was Leclerc's verdict, referring to the importance of qualifying on pole in Monaco, his home race.

It was McLaren's record-extending 16th win in Monaco and their first since a victory for a young Lewis Hamilton in 2008. Hamilton went on to win his first championship that year.

McLaren left Monaco with six wins from the first eight races of 2025 as their two drivers battle for the title. Even with just a third of the season gone, a second successive constructors' title for McLaren looks all but assured, as the team's 319 points are more than double the total of any other team.

Piastri was on the podium for the second year running in Monaco, and being disappointed with third was a sign of the progress he has made during those 12 months. Second place a year ago was only the third career podium finish for the Australian, who had yet to win a Grand Prix. Sunday marked Piastri's seventh podium finish in a row.

"If this is a bad weekend," Piastri said, "then it's not going too badly at all."