QUALIFYING REPORT: 2025 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix

Mercedes-AMG, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber and the stewards’ busy Saturday on the streets of Monte Carlo.

Monaco qualifying: tight margins, stewards’ interventions.

Lando Norris put McLaren on pole with a new circuit record, just ahead of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. Yet, the narrative after qualifying was shaped as much by the FIA stewards’ activity as by the on-track pace. The session saw multiple incidents, time investigations and no fewer than two three-place grid penalties; one for Lewis Hamilton and another for Lance Stroll.

Stewards’ decisions: penalties and non-penalties

Lewis Hamilton penalised for impeding Max Verstappen

After reviewing an incident at Turn 3 between Lewis Hamilton (Car 44, Ferrari) and Max Verstappen (Car 1, Red Bull), the stewards found that Hamilton impeded Verstappen on a flying lap. The root cause was a miscommunication from the Ferrari pit wall, which told Hamilton that Verstappen was ‘slowing down’ when he was, in fact, still pushing. Hamilton responded by speeding up and inadvertently moving into Verstappen’s line, forcing him to abort his lap. Despite Hamilton’s frustration at the incorrect message and Ferrari’s admission of the error, the stewards confirmed this did not mitigate the offence. Hamilton was issued the standard three-place grid penalty.

Lance Stroll also penalised for impeding Pierre Gasly

In a separate incident, Lance Stroll (Car 18, Aston Martin) was penalised for impeding (Car 10) at Turn 10. Stroll allowed Car 44 by but, due to poor visibility and a lack of information about other approaching cars, returned to the racing line and blocked Gasly, who was on a fast lap. The stewards accepted Stroll’s explanation about sun glare but imposed the standard three-place grid penalty.

Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber: investigated, cleared

Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber (Car 27, Nico Hülkenberg) was investigated for allegedly exceeding the 1:24.0 minimum lap time between Safety Car lines during qualifying (Article 33.4). The stewards found that Hülkenberg slowed to allow faster cars a clear lap, did not drive ‘unnecessarily slowly’, and therefore took no further action.

Team performances: Mercedes-AMG and Stake Sauber

Mercedes-AMG: no Q3, no reprieve

• George Russell: P14 (Q2 stoppage after electrical fault)
• Kimi Antonelli: P15 (clipped barrier, red flag in Q1)

For the first time since 2022, neither of the works Mercedes reached Q3 at Monaco. Overnight set-up changes improved balance, but single-lap pace and reliability left Russell and Antonelli out in Q2. The sharp performances of McLaren and customer teams compounded the team’s technical frustrations.

Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber: midfield consistency

• Nico Hülkenberg: P13
• Gabriel Bortoleto: P16

Sauber got one car into Q2, with Hülkenberg demonstrating measured pace, and Bortoleto narrowly missing out. The team’s operational execution was praised, and the stewards’ review of Hülkenberg’s out-lap exonerated him of driving unnecessarily slowly.

Final qualifying order (top 16, pre-penalties):

*Hamilton to serve a three-place grid penalty.
*Stroll (Aston Martin, not listed above) also receives a three-place grid penalty.

Regulatory context: no leniency for radio mix-ups or honest mistakes

Hamilton and Stroll’s cases underline the current stewards’ policy: drivers are ultimately responsible for impeding incidents, regardless of pit wall confusion or honest mistakes. Hülkenberg’s case highlights that the stewards will show flexibility when a driver’s actions are motivated by safety and fair play, as long as no one is impeded.