One year ago: the memorable Monaco pile-up in Formula 2

On May 25, 2025, the Monaco Grand Prix took place, culminating in Lando Norris's crowning as future world champion. Just a few hours earlier, a much more chaotic scene unfolded in F2, with a memorable pile-up right from the first corner.

The streets of Monaco can be treacherous. High speeds, close walls, and maneuvers sometimes attempted during races combine to create conditions ripe for collisions. In 2025, the race began at the height of risk-taking, with the consequences quickly escalating exponentially. Formula 2.

With 22 drivers on the track, an internal duel was brewing from the very first corner. On Friday, Alexander Dunne, then a driver proudly sporting the academy's colors... McLaren (visited Alpine (since then), he had been getting the better of a particularly sharp Victor Martins in qualifying. Both side-by-side on the grid when the lights went out, the Frenchman and the Irishman pushed hard until the very last moment before the first braking zone. Launching themselves into a corner with no intention of giving the other an inch, the two men failed to negotiate the first turn, both stuck in the barrier, unable to free themselves.

CATASTROPHE AT THE START IN #F2 😳

Alex Dunne clips Victor Martins in the first corner, causing a multi-driver crash ❌#MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/tIU5n7J9wL

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) May 25, 2025

However, while this collision had already taken out the two fastest drivers of the weekend, it ultimately triggered a chain reaction. Many of their pursuers, hampered by the position of the two cars, ended up colliding with each other one by one, quickly forcing race control to bring out the red flag. In total, seven drivers were taken out, including a good number of the championship favorites at this point in the season.

In the end, Jak Crawford took the win ahead of Leonardo Fornaroli (the future champion) and Arvid Lindblad (who has since become a Racing Bulls driver in F1). A highlight of the 2025 Formula 2 season, this also marked a turning point in the championship and the beginning of a fierce rivalry between Victor Martins and Alexander Dunne. The new generation will need to be careful not to repeat such a spectacle this weekend…

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