McLaren maintain momentum with strong showing in Monaco

McLaren tightened their grip on both the world drivers’ and constructors’ championships with another commanding display at the Monaco Grand Prix, reinforcing their position as the pacesetters of the 2025 season.

Despite Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc splitting the pair, McLaren once again underlined their status as the team to beat, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finishing first and third, respectively.

With each passing race, the title battle is increasingly shaping up to be an internal affair between the two McLaren drivers. Here, Obakeng Meletse looks at three major talking points following the iconic Monte Carlo showdown.

Norris finds his groove again

Lando Norris arrived in 2025 widely tipped to lead McLaren to their first drivers' championship title since Lewis Hamilton's triumph in 2008. Having wrapped up last year’s constructors’ title, the team from Surrey looked set to go one better this season.

While Norris started the year as the frontrunner, inconsistent qualifying performances had seen him slip behind his teammate Piastri in the standings. However, his victory in Monaco — his second of the season — was a timely reminder of his class.

He now trails the Australian by just three points in the championship race, and his confidence appears to be returning at just the right time.

Mercedes lose ground

Mercedes endured a forgettable weekend, as both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell struggled to make an impression during qualifying.

Antonelli’s light brush with the barrier at the Nouvelle Chicane was symbolic of a weekend where little went right, while Russell’s mechanical failure put him on the back foot for the rest of the weekend.

The duo’s qualifying positions—14th and 15th — left them far from contention even before the lights went out. On a circuit notorious for limited overtaking, Mercedes failed to roll the dice with their strategy, opting for similar conservative approaches with both drivers.

As a result, their lackluster outing has opened the door for Red Bull, who are now just four points behind in the Constructors’ standings heading into this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Leclerc keeps Ferrari in the fight

Leclerc may have missed out on winning his home race, but a second podium of the season provided further evidence of Ferrari’s resurgence. For the second race weekend in a row, the Scuderia looked competitive across the board.

The Monegasque driver has unlocked impressive pace in a Ferrari package that had previously struggled to match the consistency of McLaren and Red Bull. He topped all three practice sessions on his way to having another impressive qualifying session.

He’s now out-qualified teammate Hamilton on seven occasions this season and holds a 16-point advantage over the seven-time world champion. Leclerc narrowly missed out on pole position by just 0.109 seconds to Norris and looked in contention throughout the weekend. 

With back-to-back strong showings since the Italian GP, Ferrari now faces a sterner test at the more conventional Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya — a track that will better reveal their all-around performance against the front-runners.