Damon Hill reacts to Lando Norris becoming the first McLaren driver since Lewis Hamilton to win the F1 Monaco GP

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill was full of praise for McLaren rival Lando Norris as he became the first driver from the British team since Lewis Hamilton in 2008 to win the iconic Monaco GP. The British driver started the race from pole position but had a sketchy moment heading into turn one as he locked up his tyres and nearly crashed into the barrier.

However, after surviving the hairy moment, Norris was able to control proceedings from the front of the race. In the end, he finished three seconds ahead of the Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

It was the 25-year-old's second win of the 2025 season following his triumph in the season opener in Melbourne.

On X, the Woking-based outfit shared Norris' celebrations with the team in the parc ferme.

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Damon Hill reshared the post and gave his opinion on the 2025 edition of the Monaco Grand Prix. He went on to shower praise on Lando Norris, saying:

"Clearly not an epic Grand Prix race but I thought the 3 tyre rule worked. Max gambled on a Stopped Race. It didn't work, but it might have. Meanwhile, Lando is back on course for a World Championship. Looked like a very focused racer. A Perfect Weekend."

Norris has now finished ahead of his teammate, Oscar Piastri, on successive weekends for the first time in 2025.

Lando Norris reflects on winning his maiden Monaco GP

McLaren driver Lando Norris stated that he felt amazing after winning his maiden Monaco Grand Prix and admitted that it was a gruelling experience for him leading from the front in the Principality.

In his post-race interview with F1TV, the six-time F1 race winner said:

"It feels amazing. It's a long, gruelling race, but good fun. We could push for much of the race. The last quarter was stressful with Leclerc behind and Max ahead, but we won in Monaco. This is what I dreamed of when I was a kid, so I achieved one of my dreams.

"The worst bit was the end. I felt quite under control the whole race but Max was backing it up a little bit and I knew Charles had opportunities. I tried to back off Max so I could push when I needed to. I'm very happy, my team are very happy. Therefore we're going to have a wonderful night!"

Lando Norris has now closed the gap in the drivers' standings to his teammate Piastri to just three points heading into the Spanish GP next weekend.

About the author

Devang is a Formula 1 and NASCAR journalist at Sportskeeda with 3500+ articles and over 5 million reads under his belt. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has a total experience of 3.5 years.

To keep up with the sport’s developments, Devang watches every single session and comes up with unique angles for the stories, from the readers’ perspective, using his expertise in the field. He strives to report accurate, ethical and relevant data by reading information from verified sources in the field, ones that are also trusted by industry experts.

Currently, his favorite drivers on the grid are Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo; he is particularly impressed by how the two drivers rarely lose their cool and approach everything with a smile on their faces. He classifies himself as a ‘Tifosi’ and is a Charles Leclerc fan.

Devang is a sports buff and when he is away from his keyboard, he watches other sports like cricket, tennis, badminton, and football, to name a few.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl