The Monaco Grand Prix takes place in Monte Carlo on May 25th this year. It’s one of the most famous races on the calendar but recent years have not been hugely successful for the growing contingent of British drivers. Can that all change in 2025 and will we see a far more exciting race than we had last year?
Only two of the last 14 times that this legendary race has been run, has a British driver been the winner. On both occasions, it was Lewis Hamilton who was the winner with victories in 2016 and 2019 during the Mercedes glory days.
This past year has been a far more successful one, so far, for British drivers. There’s real hope that Lando Norris can end the domination of Max Verstappen and win his first world drivers’ title. A win in Monte Carlo and a successful run in the European phase of the season would certainly help him.
Norris is 10/11 to be crowned world champion for the first time, though betting offers and odds as per the Offersbet (UK edition) website and this will fluctuate. Formula 1 is such an exciting sport on which to gamble. It’s not just about who will win but there are plenty of other markets, such as the fastest lap in the race.
The British driver has a best finish of third in the race around the Principality, achieved four years ago. 2024 saw McLaren again becoming a force in Formula 1 but Norris could only finish in fourth position. At least that was a big improvement on the ninth place he recorded in 2023.
It’s 17 years since McLaren last won the Monaco Grand Prix, with Hamilton at the wheel during his McLaren years. 2024 was a promising one for them with Norris fourth and his team mate Oscar Piastri filling the runner-up spot behind Leclerc.
Not that Piastri was that delighted with the pace of the Grand Prix due the no-stop strategy that was being applied after tyre changes were made due to an early red flag. At one stage he was heard on his radio declaring that the pace was slower than a Formula 2 race.
He wasn’t the only driver upset as Max Verstappen described the race as “boring.” Those watching the race couldn’t help but agree with the world champion with the order of the top 10 remaining static after that first tyre change had taken place. It was more a procession than a grand prix…
He’s unlikely to have such a complaint this time around due to new rules aimed at making the Monaco Grand Prix a more entertaining race. It has always been a race where overtaking has been a difficult task to achieve. The mandatory number of pit stops for this race has now been changed. Teams must make at least two pit stops and use three different tyre sets, though that will be reduced to two if it’s a dry race.
Therefore, we can expect a more exciting Monaco Grand Prix this year. The past two years have seen the holder of pole position going on to win the race. We’re also guaranteed a Monaco Grand Prix until 2031 after a new deal was recently signed.
Last year saw Charles Leclerc win the Monaco Grand Prix for Ferrari. That was their first win since Sebastian Vettel in 2017. If he can win this year’s race he will become the first driver to be victorious in two successive years since Nico Rosberg in 2015.
Now they have Lewis Hamilton racing for them and he heads to Monaco looking to win the race for the fourth time in his illustrious career.
Hamilton could only finish seventh last year in his final season with Mercedes. His move to Ferrari hasn’t been a stunning one so far and he is 40/1 to regain his world title. That’s not been a total surprise for the British driver who didn’t expect to just turn up and start winning races for his new team. Despite their problems, Hamilton says he still has faith in Ferrari and the European section of the season may well see some better results being achieved.
George Russell is 25/1 to win the world title and that’s not looking likely. He also has a poor record in Monaco and was only able to finish fifth in last year’s race. At least last year wasn’t as chaotic as 2023 was. He made a mistake at the start and then his Mercedes was hit in the escape road by the Red Bull driven by Sergio Perez. Russell only finished eighth in that race.
Recent years therefore have not seen British drivers in contention to win the Monaco Grand Prix. The hope is that will change this year, particularly with the new rules that will be in place for the race.
