F1 2025 Standings: Max Verstappen resurgence in the air after Monaco Grand Prix

Max Verstappen in Monaco — Photo: © IMAGO

Monaco Grand Prix

F1 2025 Standings: Max Verstappen resurgence in the air after Monaco Grand Prix

Could another championship be on the cards for four-time title holder Max Verstappen?

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Monday 26 May 2025 17:57

Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen is creeping closer to a fifth world title despite missing out on a 66th career victory at the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend.

The Red Bull star lined up P4 ahead of Sunday's race around the unforgiving streets of Monte Carlo behind both McLarens and the Ferrari of home hero Charles Leclerc.

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For the 82nd edition of this historic grand prix however, the FIA intervened in an attempt to make the event more entertaining for spectators who had complained of Monaco being won from pole far too often.

As a result, a mandatory two-stop rule was implemented for the 2025 Monaco GP, which did not prove a success in the eyes of many drivers, and even saw the Dutchman forced to give up his race lead on the last lap to carry out his second pit stop.

The FIA has now officially confirmed the updated standings and as McLaren go from strength to strength in the constructors', Verstappen is now just 25 points behind drivers' championship leader Oscar Piastri.

Just three points separate the papaya driver duo as Verstappen has begun to catch up in third position, but with one more round of the season's European triple-header coming up this weekend, things look set to change rapidly once again.

Max Verstappen to benefit from mid-season F1 rule change?

And next week's race is no regular Spanish GP, the ninth round of this year's campaign heads to Barcelona where the world of F1 eagerly awaits to see whether McLaren's advantage will disappear after the FIA's new regulations are set to clamp down on wing flex from next weekend onwards.

The debate over the papaya outfit's flexi-wings led to complaints from rival team principals including Verstappen's boss Christian Horner, and although McLaren's wing design was deemed legal last season, the Woking-based team still underwent significant changes at the Singapore GP in 2024.

Flexi wings allow teams to maximise their downforce through corners whilst also reducing drag to benefit down the straights, and although there have been an increase in rear wing tests all season, new measures are being introduced for front wings at the Spanish GP next time out.

Horner, Red Bull and even Verstappen's own father initially criticised the FIA for not introducing these measures until the ninth race of the year, but now the change appears to have come at the ideal time for the Dutchman to overtake both Lando Norris and Piastri, with the Spanish GP potentially a pivotal point in the battle for his fifth championship.

F1 drivers' standings after 2025 Monaco Grand Prix

F1 constructors' standings after 2025 Monaco Grand Prix

2025 rule change removes fastest lap point

The fastest lap point has been removed for the 2025 season. Since 2019, drivers have picked up an extra point if they finish in the top 10 and achieve the fastest lap.

However, in the past, this led to some drivers abandoning their races to pit and fit a new set of tyres in the final stages of the race in order to claim the fastest lap point or prevent a rival from getting the extra point, playing the tactical long game in the championship standings.

The most famous example of this last season came during Daniel Ricciardo's final F1 race, when the Australian finished last but claimed the fastest lap on the final lap of the Singapore GP, taking the extra point away from Norris and helping Verstappen's 2024 title bid.

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

View full biography

Red Bull Max Verstappen McLaren FIA Charles Leclerc Monaco Grand Prix