The Two-Stop Chess Match: How McLaren and Ferrari Mastered Monaco's Strategic Maze

The 2025 Monaco Grand Prix delivered a masterclass in strategic tension, where the traditional one-stop approach in the principality was abandoned in favor of complex multi-stop tactics. With ultra-low tyre degradation but high track-position premium, the race was decided by micro-gaps, aggressive pit windows, and contrasting compound choices. Lando Norris converted his pole position into a brilliant victory for McLaren, navigating a strategic chess match against Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and teammate Oscar Piastri.

Top 2 Strategies

1. The Frontrunner Medium-to-Hard Two-Stop (Medium → Hard → Hard/Medium)

The most successful and widely used strategy among the top three finishers was the Medium-starter two-stop. This approach was designed to secure track position off the line on the more compliant Medium compound, transition to the durable Hard compound for the middle phase of the race, and then make a final stop to cover potential safety car windows and maintain fresh-rubber grip.

• Lando Norris (McLaren - 1st): Started on Mediums and ran a 19-lap opening stint. He switched to Hards on Lap 19 for a 31-lap stint, before making a final stop on Lap 50 for another set of fresh Hards to bring him home. This allowed Norris to maintain the lead for most of the race, only temporarily losing it during the pit stop cycles.
• Charles Leclerc (Ferrari - 2nd): Ferrari chose a slightly different path for Leclerc, opting for used Mediums for his final stint. Leclerc ran 22 laps on his opening Mediums, switched to Hards on Lap 22 for 27 laps, and then pitted on Lap 49 for a set of scrubbed Mediums (starting tyre age of 4). Despite the used tyre compound, Leclerc matched Norris's pace but was unable to find a way past on the narrow streets, finishing a close second.
• Oscar Piastri (McLaren - 3rd): Followed a similar pattern to his teammate, running 20 laps on Mediums, 28 laps on Hards, and a final 30-lap stint on Hards after pitting on Lap 48. This secured a double podium for McLaren.

2. The Hard-to-Medium Alternate Strategy (Hard → Medium → Soft/Hard)

Designed for drivers starting further back or looking to exploit an offset pit window, the Hard-first strategy aimed to extend the first stint as long as possible. The goal was to run in clean air once the Medium starters pitted, hoping to execute an overcut or benefit from a mid-race Safety Car.

• Max Verstappen (Red Bull - 4th): Verstappen started 4th on Hards, running a 28-lap opening stint. When the frontrunners pitted, Verstappen inherited the lead and ran in clean air for seven laps, though he could not build enough of a gap to jump them. He switched to Mediums on Lap 29 and completed a mammoth 49-lap stint. In a bid to secure the fastest lap, Red Bull pulled him in on Lap 77 for a final 1-lap dash on Softs, though Lando Norris ultimately took the fastest lap on the final tour. Verstappen finished where he started in 4th.
• Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari - 5th): Hamilton also started on Hards but chose a different variation. He completed an 18-lap opening stint, switched to another set of Hards for 38 laps, and completed his final 22 laps on a set of used Mediums (starting age 4). This aggressive offset allowed Hamilton to overcut Isack Hadjar and climb from 7th to 5th.

Standout Strategic Calls

Lewis Hamilton's Clean Overcut on Isack Hadjar

One of the most decisive strategic moves of the race occurred in the battle for fifth. Isack Hadjar, running fifth for RB, pitted early on Lap 14 to switch to Soft tyres. Ferrari chose to leave Lewis Hamilton out on his starting Hard tyres for an extra four laps. Hamilton set highly consistent times, and when he pitted on Lap 18, he emerged comfortably ahead of Hadjar. Hadjar's early switch to Softs backfired, forcing the RB driver to pit again just five laps later (Lap 19) for Hards. Hamilton's patient overcut secured him fifth place.

Yuki Tsunoda's Mammoth 72-Lap Hard Stint

Following a first-lap incident that forced an immediate pit stop, Yuki Tsunoda was forced into a radical alternate strategy. Pitting on Lap 1, Tsunoda bolted on a set of Hard tyres and embarked on an extraordinary 72-lap stint. Thanks to the ultra-low degradation characteristics of the Monaco circuit, Tsunoda's pace remained remarkably stable. As his fuel load dropped, his lap times actually improved, culminating in his personal best lap of the stint (75.320) on Lap 71. He finally pitted on Lap 73 for Mediums, finishing 17th but demonstrating the incredible durability of the Hard compound.

Failed Strategies

Isack Hadjar's Failed Soft Tyre Gamble

Pitting on Lap 14 from fifth position, RB made a bold gamble to put Isack Hadjar on the Soft compound. This proved to be a major miscalculation. The Soft tyres suffered immediate thermal degradation and graining on the green track, lasting only five laps before Hadjar was forced to pit again on Lap 19 for Hards. This extra pit stop destroyed his track position, dropping him behind Lewis Hamilton and leaving him to spend the rest of the race recovering to sixth place.

George Russell's Mid-Race Pit Lane Confusion

George Russell's race was compromised by an unusual sequence of events. Having run a very long 53-lap opening stint on Hards, Russell switched to Mediums on Lap 54. On Lap 62, Russell entered the pit lane but did not change tyres, emerging on the same set of Mediums. This pit lane passage cost him crucial seconds. He eventually pitted for real on Lap 68 to take Hards, finishing a lonely 11th after losing touch with the top ten.

Strategies Table

Below is the comprehensive breakdown of the tyre compounds, stint lengths, and pit stops for all 20 competitors during the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix.

*Note: Asterisk indicates a tyre set that was scrubbed/used prior to the start of the stint. Stint lengths are calculated based on completed race laps.