In an effort to boost excitement around the notoriously processional Monte Carlo street circuit, drivers were required to make a minimum of two pit stops across the 78-lap race on Sunday.
But the result was a frustrating mix of slow driving, confusing team tactics, and accusations of dangerous behaviour.
The race produced zero legal overtakes, with the top four finishing in the same order they qualified.
The only notable passes came when both Mercedes drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, illegally cut the Nouvelle Chicane to get past Alex Albon’s Williams.
Albon, in turn, had been deliberately holding up the field to allow his teammate Carlos Sainz to complete his pit strategy and retain track position, a tactic that Sainz would later return the favour on.
A frustrated Russell cut the chicane and admitted afterward that he’d rather take the penalty than sit behind, saying that “he didn’t care” given he was out of the points.
Reactions throughout the paddock were also just as blunt.
Race winner Lando Norris said he “hated it.” Former World Champion Jenson Button called it “silly.” Max Verstappen compared it to “Mario Kart.”
Even those who benefited from the tactics were left uncomfortable.
“Today isn’t how either Carlos or I want to go racing,” Albon admitted. “The Racing Bulls did it first, and we knew if they started it, we had to match it.
“It’s not pretty but, in the end, it was a tactical game, and we had to make it work.
“Realistically we lost the race on Saturday, and you pay the price here; you start where you finish and that was it.”
The Racing Bulls duo, Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson, were the first to deploy the tactic.
Lawson slowed the pack enough for Hadjar to complete both pit stops without ever dropping out of the top ten.
While the annual question of how to improve racing at Monaco isn’t new, this year’s debate around team tactics and race manipulation is.
So, what do you think? Were the strategies used during the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix a bad look for the sport?
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