McLaren’s Norris notches up second win with maiden victory at Monaco Grand Prix

Lando Norris resisted intense pressure to claim a well-deserved victory for McLaren ahead of Ferrari’s local hero Charles Leclerc in Sunday’s strangely chaotic and tactical Monaco Grand Prix.

The Briton came home 3.131 seconds clear of last year’s winner with championship leading McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri taking third.

Four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull came next ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari.

Norris became the first McLaren winner in Monaco since Hamilton, in his first title-winning season of 2008. It was his first Monaco triumph, his second this year and the sixth of his career.

McLaren's British driver Lando Norris (left) leads Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc (right) into the first corner during the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix at the Circuit de Monaco, on Sunday. AFP

French rookie Isack Hadjar finished sixth for the RB team ahead of Esteban Ocon of Haas, Liam Lawson in the second RB and the Williams pair Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz.

“Monaco baby, yeah baby!” screamed Norris from his car during his slowdown lap after closing to within three points of Piastri in the title race.

“It feels amazing. It’s a long and gruelling race. I was nervous into the last corner and we pushed, but we won in Monaco so it doesn’t matter how you do it.

“I’ve realised a dream today.”

The race began on a clear, dry and sunlit afternoon with the teams choosing a wide range of tyres ahead of the first mandatory two-stop race.

Norris made a solid start from pole, but went close to sliding off at Ste Devote. He held on to resist Leclerc before a quartet of tail-enders - including Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly made early stops.

McLaren's Lando Norris in action during the race. Reuters

A skirmish involving Kimi Antonelli and Gabriel Bortoleto was followed by early use of a virtual safety car (VSC) which prompted the first stops, but most stayed out with Norris hanging on in front.

Pit-lane chaos

Yellow flags waved again on lap eight when Gasly lost control of his Alpine at the Nouvelle Chicane and ran into Tsunoda’s Red Bull, damaging his front left wheel. He limped back to the pits and retired.

The disrupted order was affected by off-set strategies as teams sought to control one car’s pace to create space for a pit-stop for the other.

This ploy required Hamilton, Lawson and Sainz, among others, to sacrifice their races, in the process slowing the field and creating traffic jams.

Agencies