Yesterday’s Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix was a rather pedestrian affair, and simply boring for what was meant to be a race at the pinnacle of motorsport. Formula 1’s governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), mandated a minimum of two pitstops per car in an attempt to make the race more exciting, but all that led to was a blatant (but not unwarranted) display of teams ‘gaming the system’—exploiting the rules for maximum benefit, even if it may have contradicted the intent.
For those unfamiliar with the Monaco event, it is probably the most famous Formula 1 event in history, providing a stark contrast with most other Formula 1 races, as it is held on an extremely narrow and complex street circuit rather than a spacious, purpose-built racetrack. There are other Formula 1 events held on street circuits, of course, such as the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix (originally held in Adelaide and now in Melbourne), but those circuits are much more expansive than Monaco’s circuit.
With current Formula 1 cars being physically larger than cars of past years, and the much higher risk of damage to the cars at Monaco (leaving the circuit even a little generally means hitting a wall and crashing out of the event), it was unsurprising that we saw essentially no overtaking at all—making for a rather anticlimactic 78-lap event all round. As some have put it, Monaco in 2025 was like watching a train of very expensive Formula 1 cars going around for the entire race. It was also described as ’78 formation laps’ (meaning 78 laps with no overtaking allowed, let alone attempted).
It is well known that qualifying position in Monaco typically dictates finishing position in the race, since overtaking is very challenging. From that perspective, barring accidents or other exceptional circumstances, the race result was essentially determined before the race itself began. Lando Norris (McLaren), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) qualified at the head of the pack, and finished in the same order. Defending champion Max Verstappen, despite probably being the most talented driver in the field, could not make any difference and finished fourth.
Mr. Piastri has now finished on the podium for seven races in a row, something that I do not believe either of the last two notable Australian Formula 1 drivers (Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo) ever achieved. If he can continue this performance, we could see him as Champion Driver for this year.