Norris retires due to yet another Mercedes engine problem

For Lando Norris, the Monaco Grand Prix was already a tough task. The reigning world champion took pole and victory in Monte Carlo in 2025, but in 2026 he got no further than eighth in qualifying. At the start Norris moved up a place due to Max Verstappen’s retirement, but he then lost it again with a poorer launch himself and Pierre Gasly got past.

Norris spent the entire race trying to overtake the Frenchman, but couldn’t manage it. Since Gasly has the same Mercedes power unit, there was no opportunity for Norris to get by the Alpine driver.

However, Gasly turned out not to be Norris’s biggest problem in the race. That was the Mercedes engine in the back of his own car, which gave out halfway through the race. Norris managed to continue for a while, until he lost his entire battery in the tunnel. George Russell went past, and it didn’t stop there. Norris was then called into the pits for a DNF.

That makes Norris the fourth retiree in what has so far been an eventful Monaco GP. Max Verstappen was out right after the start, after which Valtteri Bottas and Oliver Bearman also had to stop earlier.