Jolyon Palmer says F1 rivals simply can’t ‘ignore’ what Lando Norris just did during bizarre Monaco Grand Prix

Lando Norris won his first Monaco Grand Prix with a lights-to-flag victory after withstanding pressure from home hero Charles Leclerc.

The McLaren driver managed his race with a controlled drive, avoiding the various pitfalls of the race, including a new rule that required drivers to pit at least twice in the race.

There was a degree of uncertainty over whether the new rules would improve the racing, but it quickly became apparent that teams were using their second cars to gain an advantage in the pit stops and exploiting Monaco’s tight nature that makes it impossible to overtake.

Norris converted his pole into the lead at the first corner, then settled into the race as both Leclerc and Oscar Piastri mimicked his strategy of starting on the medium, then doing two stints on the hard tyre.

Despite a Safety Car, Virtual Safety Car, yellow flags and lapped traffic, Norris held on to the win. Discussing his performance on the F1 TV post-race show, Jolyon Palmer explained why rivals should not ‘ignore’ what Norris did in the race amid the title battle.

Jolyon Palmer thinks rivals should not ‘ignore’ Lando Norris display in Monaco

Norris cut the gap between him and Piastri to just three points with his win, while the Australian’s third place caused him to lose significant ground.

Palmer thinks Norris’ ability to soak up the pressure around Monaco without making too many mistakes should serve as a warning shot, having suffered a somewhat disappointing start to his 2025 campaign.

“I wouldn’t ignore what he’s done today. The job was done on Saturday and he won the race, but he was obviously feeling a lot of pressure from behind. He had a massive, smoky, double lockup into Turn 1, he had Charles behind, and the two-stop race did seem harder for everyone on the pit wall and the drivers,” said Palmer.

“I know Monaco is difficult, it’s hard to overtake, people at home might be thinking ‘He was never going to pass’ but if you’re sitting in the cockpit, and you’ve got Leclerc the home hero behind you, it doesn’t feel like he isn’t going to pass you. Lando absorbed that pressure, pumped in the fastest lap, it was a real consummate display.”

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Lando Norris silences critics with Monaco GP win

Earning pole at Monaco usually means you can go on to win the race, barring any mechanical failure or mistake, but drivers must still endure the pressure for 58 laps.

Norris has been making uncharacteristic mistakes on Saturdays this season, which makes his pole all the more remarkable at the wheel of the McLaren.

Ralf Schumacher thought Norris was driving ‘scared’ this season, but there was no sign of that while under pressure from home favourite Leclerc.

Karun Chandhok was impressed by Norris, noting how he managed to keep his McLaren out of the wall in both qualifying and the race while still being aggressive.