Max Verstappen claimed his first F1 win, pushing Lewis Hamilton out of the top spot in the championship. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc was forced to pull out of the race despite starting from pole.
With his second win of the year and 12th overall, Verstappen now holds a four-point advantage over Hamilton. It was a disappointing day for Mercedes, as Hamilton could only manage seventh place.
The race was plagued by errors for Mercedes, including a failed tire change for Hamilton and a complete retirement for Valtteri Bottas.
Verstappen took a commanding lead, finishing nearly 10 seconds ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr. Lando Norris took third place—his third career podium—while Sergio Perez finished fourth, just one second behind Norris.
Having qualified seven places behind Verstappen, Hamilton had little chance of victory, continuing a trend where the duo finished 1-2 in all five races this season. For Leclerc, a gearbox issue killed any hope of a hometown victory after he was forced to withdraw from pole.
Shortly after qualifying ended, Leclerc crashed. Ferrari initially suggested he could still compete if the gearbox was replaced, though this would incur a five-place grid penalty. However, the team eventually gave up and withdrew him. This echoed Leclerc's first year with Ferrari, where he also suffered an early exit in Monaco.
The race director chose not to move Verstappen up to pole from second, which gave Bottas a better opportunity to dive down the inside. Despite this, Verstappen managed to hold his ground thanks to a strong start.
Overtaking is famously grueling on the 3.4-kilometer Monaco circuit. By Lap 30, Hamilton found himself trapped in sixth place, unable to get past Pierre Gasly.