Lando Norris admitted he doesn’t get much enjoyment from the unique challenge of driving around Monaco while he’s on the track.
“I don’t enjoy it when I drive it,” said the McLaren driver. “I only enjoy it after I’ve driven it.”However Norris admits there is a lot else he enjoys about the race, including the satisfaction of mastering the demanding Monte-Carlo circuit.
“I look forward to it because the experience is cool and the experience is special, unique, many different things,” he told the official F1 channel. “I don’t think many people smile when they drive around Monaco. If they do, they’re probably lying.
“When you cross the line, when you come out of the last corner, I think that’s the first opportunity you have to smile and realise what you achieved, realise the enjoyment behind it all.
“But I think around Monaco, there’s so much concentration, there is so much tunnel vision. It’s hard to really enjoy a lap of Monaco until you really relax and you drive a bit more slowly.
“The experience is special and I think every time you look back on a lap, that’s the moment that you smile, more than anything.”
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Norris hasn’t won a race since his victory in the season-opening round in Australia. He finished second to Max Verstappen last week at Imola and he doesn’t believe McLaren will necessarily be the team to beat in Monaco.
“We’ve been beaten plenty of times this year, so last weekend doesn’t change anything,” he said. “It shows that we’re still vulnerable in certain areas. We still have things to improve on, even though we’ve had some great weekends where we’ve looked dominant and we have been dominant.
“Clearly we still have some weaknesses, so it’s focusing on the good stuff, but trying to work on those weaknesses and improve.”
However his team mate Oscar Piastri, who started and finished ahead of him in Monaco last year, is confident about their chances.
“We should have a quick car,” said the championship leader. “It was a successful race for us last year around here so hopefully we can continue that form.
“Obviously the first third of the season’s been going very well. I don’t have any reason to think otherwise so I hope it’s a good one.”
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2025 Monaco Grand Prix
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Alan Dove
23rd May 2025, 7:40
That’s what you want to hear. Makes me laugh people want a track that challenges drivers so fundamentally off the calendar.
S
23rd May 2025, 9:47
Teams simply don’t allow it to be challenging to the drivers, by making sure they are driving several seconds per lap off the potential pace simply because defending is so easy.
At most, they are challenged for a few laps on Saturday and one or two on Sunday. The rest is just about finding a rhythm and placing the car where competitors can’t overtake.
There has been just one occasion in the last couple of decades where the drivers got out of their cars at the end of the GP and actually showed signs of being tired mentally and physically. And it wasn’t at Monaco.
Jojo
23rd May 2025, 9:54
The track isn’t really the problem, the size of the cars is though.
I love watching qualifying in Monaco, best in the year, but when it comes to the race I’ll make do with the highlights.
anon
23rd May 2025, 10:24
Not really – people were calling it an anachronism back in the late 1970s, and the official season review of the 1974 season talks about how the race is a processional affair. People don’t normally complain about the likes of a Lotus 72 being far too large, and yet that was already considered to have outgrown the circuit and produce boring races.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
23rd May 2025, 12:51
Well oddly enough I watched the race highlights of the 1985 Monaco GP just a couple of days ago (Geek). It wasn’t boring and there was some decent overtakes. Half a dozen at least. Proper ones of course without any DRS or whatever. The cars then definitely did not look too big and could pass with relative ease, compared to today’s monsters. I have no doubt the size of the cars is a factor.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
23rd May 2025, 13:03
One year sample. Its been largely processional for 50 + years. I remember DC being stuck behind a backmarker for 30 laps in the days they were allowed to maintain the racing line
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
23rd May 2025, 13:24
Not a very objective comment is it. I am sure there were overtakes in more than just one year. I admit they could get stuck behind backmarkers but in this same race, the blue flags were waived and the leaders were let through quite quickly. I am sure the drivers are told to do this. Especially at Monaco. Maybe it was just the 1980s cars?
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
23rd May 2025, 13:44
It was a rule change that made cars move over, cars used to move over voluntarily but were not required to, in the gentleman days they did but they introduced what might be called the ‘de Cesaris’ rule to stop the back marker plodders ruining the race. One of Senna’s great skills was scaring the bejeesus out of backmarkers who would scurry out of the way rather than engage with the great man
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
23rd May 2025, 13:47
@phil-f1-21 The modern cars are longer and heavier than they were in the past but the current 2m width is the same as it was up until the end of 1997 & in fact there were occasions prior to that when the cars were a little wider than 2m.
For 1998 the width was reduced to 1.8m and then reverted back to 2m for 2017.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
23rd May 2025, 14:31
@stefmeister. Yes I was aware of the changing widths. But I can only presume that all dimensions matter at tight, twisty Monaco i.e. length, width and weight. The other factors are I guess the speed and aerodynamics of modern cars. The (Monaco) lap times are a lot faster today than they were back then. I was surprised by how much.
Coventry Climax
24th May 2025, 0:35
Weight.
To all of you above, I strongly urge you to rent a Caterham or similar weight car, meaning under 600 kg, for a day. You’ll be amazed what weight does.
An Sionnach
23rd May 2025, 9:48
Good man, Oscar!
David BR (@david-br)
23rd May 2025, 10:31
From lengthy experience of driving the circuit in a Formula 1 car (on a computer screen) I totally agree with Norris. It’s the one circuit I don’t get any enjoyment from as it’s either total concentration or you’re too slow or crash.
Ankita
24th May 2025, 5:44
Welcome to the sport ! Full concentration is a must in every circuit.
Jere (@jerejj)
23rd May 2025, 11:15
His take is interesting & unusual. I enjoy driving the Monaco street circuit per se, but it isn’t one of my outright favorite circuits to drive & out of fully temporary circuits, I enjoy driving even Baku & Marina Bay to a greater extent.
David BR (@david-br)
23rd May 2025, 12:00
@jerejj Qualifying laps are fun but a whole race is (mentally) not fun unless it’s raining.
mzs16 (@mzs16)
23rd May 2025, 12:30
Driver whose teammate has outscored him by 36 points and 4-0 in terms of wins since race 1: “nah, the car is not that good”
Said teammate: “we’ve got a great car!”
Haha
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
23rd May 2025, 13:36
WHy’d you miss out race one. Oh yes to suit your argument
haha