Hanna Ifri
As Formula One’s European leg kicked off with the season’s second triple-header, few could have predicted the seismic shift in momentum that would follow. Max Verstappen may have started the run with a commanding win at Imola, but it was McLaren, and particularly their rising stars Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who stamped their authority across Monaco and Spain, signalling a potential changing of the guard at the sharp end of the grid.
The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola began with Oscar Piastri on pole. However, Verstappen wasted no time asserting himself, taking the lead into Turn one from P2. George Russell slotted into third, while Piastri’s race became more complicated after a suboptimal pit stop dropped him down the order.
By Lap 11, Norris began making his presence known, overtaking Russell to claim third. Despite McLaren’s upward trajectory, Verstappen remained untouchable in clean air. By Lap 27, his lead over Norris stood at nine seconds and would continue to balloon. A brief VSC on Lap 29, triggered by Esteban Ocon beaching his car in the grass, offered a strategic shuffle, Norris pitted, but Verstappen remained in control.
Haas had a forgettable afternoon, with Ollie Bearman retiring mid race only to return bizarrely to the track on Lap 46. Kimi Antonelli, hoping for a memorable home Grand Prix, instead suffered mechanical failure at the Tosa hairpin, bringing out a yellow flag.
As the laps wore on, McLaren’s pace became more evident. Piastri clawed back to P2, only to be passed by his teammate Norris on Lap 58 in a heart in mouth moment as the two cars came within inches of contact. Verstappen cruised home with a near-20 second lead, but McLaren’s double podium hinted at deeper gains to come.
In Monaco, A dramatic Saturday saw Lando Norris claim his maiden pole in the city of bling, snatching it in the dying seconds from Charles Leclerc with a record setting lap. The big talking point, however, was the FIA’s controversial implementation of a mandatory two-stop rule, a decision that would spark both intrigue and frustration.
Norris nearly lost the lead off the line, locking up into Sainte Devote, but recovered brilliantly. The early laps were not short on incident, Gabriel Bortoleto brushed the wall but recovered, while on Lap 9, Pierre Gasly dramatically lost his brakes and collided with Yuki Tsunoda, tearing off his front-left wheel and scattering debris.
Their clever tactics earned widespread praise
Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson played a strategic masterclass for VCARB. Lawson, in particular, held up a significant train to allow Hadjar to pit without losing track position. Their clever tactics earned widespread praise, with Hadjar eventually finishing sixth, his best F1 result to date.
Despite the rule change, the race pace remained processional. By Lap 54, Verstappen, who had only stopped once, appeared to be aiding Leclerc’s charge, backing Norris up tactically. But the McLaren driver kept his cool, managing tyre wear superbly and sealing a momentous first victory on the streets of Monte Carlo.
Barcelona brought the most dramatic twist yet. With Lance Stroll sidelined due to a wrist injury, Oscar Piastri took pole ahead of Norris and Verstappen, a dream scenario for McLaren. The opening laps set the tone as Nico Hülkenberg made an early charge from P15 to P10, while Norris executed a clinical pass on Verstappen by Lap 13, setting up a chase after Piastri, who led by 4.5 seconds.
The race wasn’t without drama
The pit window between Laps 13 and 26 shuffled the order, momentarily putting Verstappen in front. But McLaren’s superior tyre management soon brought both drivers back into play. The race wasn’t without drama though as Lawson and Albon clashed, resulting in Albon’s retirement following the penalty he got. Then, a late yellow flag on Lap 55 was caused by Antonelli’s off-track excursion.
But the defining moment came on Lap 63, a clash between Verstappen and Russell, with the Dutchman clearly at fault. Whether it was frustration or desperation, the incident cost him dearly. He finished a distant 10th, while Piastri led a dominant McLaren 1-2, with Leclerc salvaging third for Ferrari. Hülkenberg’s fifth-place finish added an unexpected layer to an already chaotic Grand Prix.
Quietly but consistently, Isack Hadjar has proven himself the breakout rookie of the season. The only first-year driver to score points in all three triple-header races, Hadjar has shown maturity, tactical acumen, and raw pace. A ninth-place finish at Imola, sixth in Monaco, after flawless strategy execution, and seventh in Spain has firmly put him on everyone’s radar. Not only has Hadjar outperformed fellow rookies, he’s matched and occasionally beaten more established midfield names.
McLaren’s double victories and three consecutive double podiums have thrown the championship narrative wide open. While Verstappen still leads the consecutive streak of World Championship, the Red Bull aura of invincibility has begun to fray at the edges. Both Norris and Piastri have shown they can beat him on pure merit, and they’ve done so in vastly different conditions across multiple different circuits.
With a week-long breather before the paddock heads to Canada, teams will be frantically assessing data and upgrades. But one thing is now certain, McLaren are no longer chasing Red Bull, they’re racing them, wheel-to-wheel, for wins.
And Max Verstappen? For the first time in years, he’s being truly tested.
Hanna Ifri
Featured image courtesy of James Watson via Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
