RACE REPORT: 2025 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix

Strategy Stalemate for Mercedes-AMG and Stake KICK Sauber

Sunday at Monaco proved what many in the paddock have always suspected: qualifying is king, and race day can easily become a game of chess rather than a showcase for pure speed. Mercedes-AMG and Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber spent most of the Grand Prix stuck in traffic, boxed in by strategy and new tyre rules that left little room for bold moves or surprise results.

For Mercedes, the day started with faint optimism. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli began 14th and 15th, choosing hard tyres and aiming to run long in the hope that strategy or a timely Safety Car would unlock the race. The mandatory two-stop regulation meant that all three tyre compounds would see action, but it quickly became clear that many teams would use this as a tool for defence rather than attack. Russell described the race as “playing chess… on track with this new mandatory two-stop regulation,” explaining that both he and Antonelli hoped to help each other gain positions. But, as he pointed out, “Williams and Racing Bulls opted for the same strategy, and it left us without any real options.”

Russell’s afternoon featured a drive-through penalty after an illegal overtake on Alex Albon at the Nouvelle Chicane, but teamwork with Antonelli meant he could make both his mandatory stops and still finish 11th. “On the bright side, I really enjoyed my last 10 laps. Monaco is one of the best circuits in the world and I had the chance to push to the limit and enjoy the most of it in those closing stages.” Antonelli’s race was less rewarding, ending 18th after being caught in the midfield train. He said, “It was not the most exciting race we’ve ever done, and the strategy didn’t work out in our favour.” He did manage a move on Bortoleto before the tunnel, but ultimately, “we found ourselves in a train, way off the pace, with no possibilities to overtake.”

Toto Wolff, team principal, acknowledged, “Starting P14 and P15 was going to be a challenge, and we knew about this from the start. There were no scenarios that could have brought us some points, and hoping for a red flag or a Safety Car was the only option available to us.” Wolff also addressed the wider problem, saying, “As a sport, we will look at the mandatory two-stop regulation and see how we can avoid these situations in future. Monaco is still one of those incredible events, though and an unbelievable spectacle.”

Andrew Shovlin was blunt about the team’s lack of pace: “From Free Practice to Qualifying, we struggled with the car balance, the tyres, and it made it difficult for the drivers to build their confidence and to find the pace for better timed laps on Saturday. We were not good enough yesterday, and that really sealed the fate of our weekend.”

For the Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber, Sunday was much the same story. Gabriel Bortoleto finished 14th and Nico Hülkenberg 16th, with both drivers unable to break free from the pack. Bortoleto’s race was compromised after an early incident with Antonelli, which forced a nose change and dropped him into heavy traffic. He reflected, “Monaco has always been known for exciting qualifying and free practice sessions, but the races often end up being quite uneventful because overtaking is so difficult… everyone running four or five seconds off their real pace, no tyre degradation, and overtaking impossible.” Bortoleto described how an optimistic move from Antonelli at Turn 8 forced him wide and into the wall, damaging his front wing: “It’s a shame because I had made a solid move around the outside at the hairpin, gaining the position fairly, but then he tried a slightly optimistic move at Turn 8… destroying my front wing and ultimately compromising my race.”

Hülkenberg summed up his afternoon in similar terms, noting that team plays by others left him “caught in traffic, largely due to teams in front of us obviously executing strategic plays. Lapping three to five seconds per lap off the pace to open up pit windows for their teammates slowed me down massively and did not lead to an enjoyable race.” He added, “Realistically, starting in the top 10 is probably the only way to avoid this… while our own strategy and the pitstops were well executed, there was little we could do to achieve a better result.”

Team principal Jonathan Wheatley made it clear that “the Monaco Grand Prix was defined by strategy and shaped more by the rules than by pure racing.” He highlighted Bortoleto’s first-lap bravery and solid pace, but admitted that much of the race was dictated by “rival teams using extreme pace management tactics to benefit their teammates.” Wheatley called the incident between Bortoleto and Antonelli “just hard racing,” but noted that the “mandatory tyre usage rules” and deliberate backing-up of the pack made life tougher for Sauber, Racing Bulls, Williams, and Mercedes. “While I’d say the incident between Gabriel and Kimi was just hard racing, as a sport, we do need to take a closer look at George’s penalty and consider what can be learned, especially in races so heavily influenced by mandatory tyre usage rules like this one.”

There was little joy for either German marque in Monte Carlo. Both left knowing that on days when strategy, traffic, and rules take centre stage, even a strong car or bold move rarely changes the script. The hope, voiced by both teams, is that Barcelona’s different layout and tyre allocation will offer a more traditional fight, where overtaking and outright pace are again decisive.

2025 FIA Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix – Race 
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 78 1:40'33.843 
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 78 1:40'36.974 3.131
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 78 1:40'37.501 3.658
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 78 1:40'54.415 20.572
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 78 1:41'25.230 51.387
6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 77 1:41'38.925 1 lap /1'05.082
7 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 77 1:41'39.872 1 lap /1'06.029
8 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 77 1:41'40.589 1 lap /1'06.746
9 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 76 1:40'45.712 2 laps /11.869
10 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 76 1:40'49.075 2 laps /15.232
11 George Russell Mercedes 76 1:41'07.687 2 laps /33.844
12 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 76 1:41'28.536 2 laps /54.693
13 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Renault 76 1:41'30.957 2 laps /57.114
14 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 76 1:41'42.267 2 laps /1'08.424
15 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 76 1:41'44.238 2 laps /1'10.395
16 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 76 1:41'45.387 2 laps /1'11.544
17 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 76 1:41'45.692 2 laps /1'11.849
18 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 75 1:40'42.252 3 laps /8.409
     Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 36 48'27.102 Retirement
     Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 7 10'57.609 Retirement