Lando Norris beats Lewis Hamilton’s record and makes history at Monaco

Since 2019, it was Lewis Hamilton who held the record in Monaco with a time of 1’10”166 set during qualifying. A time that remained unchanged for six years, even as the cars have become heavier and bulkier due to new technical regulations. Yet, despite increasingly larger cars, engineers compete in ingenuity to refine every technical detail and seek out the smallest thousandths.

At the dawn of a regulatory change planned for 2026, current F1 cars continue to push boundaries. As a result, performances keep improving, defying predictions.

An intense qualification and millimeter precision

On Saturday, May 24th, the conditions were ideal for the last phase of qualifying (Q3): 23°C in the air, 39°C on the track, and almost no wind. The McLarens fitted new C6 ultra-soft tires introduced by Pirelli a week earlier in Imola.

Softer, faster: the C6 tire arrives in Formula 1 at Imola

There were less than five minutes remaining when Lando Norris took off. His first fast lap was already impressive: 1’10”125. At that moment, the McLaren team was jubilant because Oscar Piastri was clocking in at 1’10”140, just behind his teammate.

But things quickly evolved. Charles Leclerc clocked a 1’10”063 and temporarily took pole. A few seconds later, Oscar Piastri improved by 11 thousandths to bring it down to 1’10”129. His garage neighbor did not give up, and during his slowdown lap, Lando Norris recharged the battery and optimized the temperature of his tires for a final attempt. He had a clear track ahead of him: the perfect opportunity.

A tour full of control

In this final lap, the Briton took all the risks. He had a good first sector but was slightly behind his teammate. In the second sector, he caught up a bit, but was, this time, a little slower than Charles Leclerc. He brushed the barriers, attacked relentlessly, and delivered a remarkable performance of precision in the third and final sector. He crossed the finish line in 1’09”954 and seized pole position and the absolute track record. All this at a dizzying average speed of 172.618 km/h… in the narrow and treacherous streets of Monaco!

Time by sector during Lando Norris’s last lap and absolute best times:

– **Sector 1**: 18.216 s (Oscar Piastri: 18.170 s)

Sector 2: 33.254 s (Charles Leclerc: 33.180 s)

**Sector 3**: 18.484 s (Lando Norris: 18.469 s)

Two interesting facts:

1. In his pole lap, Lando Norris did not set the best time in any of the three sectors, but it was the consistency and coherence of his driving that made the difference.

2. Added together, these three best partials give a theoretical time of 1’09”819, but let’s keep this record for a future edition.

A moment of history

The feat achieved by Lando Norris is as spectacular as it is symbolic, and will likely remain among the great moments in recent Formula 1 history. Not only does he become the first driver to break the 70-second mark on the legendary Monaco circuit, but he does so with a demonstration of absolute mastery: no errors, no excesses, just remarkable driving intelligence.