The Japan Times - Norris savours 'dream' Monaco maiden win to close gap on Piastri

In a race heavily influenced by the introduction of a mandatory requirement for two pit stops by each driver, Norris managed to focus on his task and turn his 11th pole position into the sixth win of his career.

"It feels amazing," he said.

Norris resisted intense pressure to claim his deserved victory, his first since Australia's season-opening race, to finish 3.131 seconds ahead of Ferrari's local hero Leclerc with championship leading McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri third. Max Verstappen finished fourth.

"It's a long, gruelling race, but good fun. We could push for quite a lot of the race, but in the last quarter, I was nervous with Charles behind and Max ahead," said Norris.

"But we won in Monaco and it doesn't matter how you win. For me, an amazing weekend. This is what I dreamed of when I was a kid, so I achieved one of my dreams."

After eight of this year's 24 races, Piastri has 161 points, Norris 158 and Verstappen 136. Mercedes' George Russell is fourth on 99 after finishing 11th. In the teams' competition, McLaren lead with 319 ahead of Mercedes on 147, Red Bull on 143 and Ferrari on 142.

Norris became the first McLaren winner in Monaco since Hamilton, in his first title-winning season of 2008.

"At the end of the day, we lost this race yesterday," said Leclerc, ruing allowing Norris to snatch pole.

- Gamesmanship -

"We should have done a better job. Lando did a better job and deserved to win. I achieved my childhood dream last year, but not this time.

"I did not expect this really and it has been a good weekend overall, but I wish I had won!"

Piastri admitted he had survived a tricky weekend.

"Overall, I am happy with another podium. The margins are so fine and if this is a bad weekend, it's not going too badly."

Amid widespread 'gamesmanship' as teams asked one driver to slow and hold up the traffic to create a pit-stop window for the other, the race featured much cosmetic incident, but it was very different from the oft-processional events of previous years.

"It's not the way we want to go racing," admitted Williams team boss James Vowles who had instructed Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon to dawdle deliberately on their way to top 10 finishes as did the RB pair French rookie Isack Hadjar, who came home sixth, and Liam Lawson, eight.

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was fifth in the second Ferrari after starting seventh.

As a result of Albon's slow pace, both Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli felt forced to cut the chicane to avoid a collision. Russell declined to give the place back and was hit with a drive-through penalty.

"That's Monaco and it's how the game goes," said Russell.

"The only way to score points. You are damned if you are and damned if you don't. It's a bit of a flawed system."

An unimpressed Verstappen, who pitted from the lead for his second stop ahead of the final lap, said: "You can't race here anyway so it doesn't matter what you do – one stop or 10 stops. I was in the lead and my tyres were completely gone and you still can't pass!

"I had nothing to lose staying out.

"A big gap behind and I think I could have done four stops and still been in the same position. That's Monaco for you. Qualifying is really important. In the end, P4 was the maximum we could do."

Asked for their views on the mandatory two-stop rule, both Williams drivers said they disliked feeling their racing had been manipulated while Mercedes boss Toto Wolff shook his head, saying: "I dont like it".

T.Ikeda--JT