Ahead of Hamilton and Hadjar after late red flag
Kimi Antonelli claimed his fifth consecutive Formula 1 victory with a dominant drive in a disrupted Monaco Grand Prix, as late-race incidents for Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc triggered a Safety Car, and a red flag for track damage led to an eight-lap sprint to the finish.
Starting from pole position, the championship-leading Mercedes driver took immediate control of the race and dominated the race throughout, before a late sequence of accidents erased a lead that had grown to almost 30 seconds over Lewis Hamilton. Antonelli nevertheless retained first place at the final standing start and held off the Ferrari driver into Sainte Dévote to secure victory.
The race began with immediate trouble for Max Verstappen, whose Red Bull stuttered off the grid from the front row, forcing the cars behind to take avoiding action. The Dutchman was able to get going but with engine issues he limped around to the pit lane and retured from the race. Hamilton and Leclerc moved into second and third for Ferrari, but Antonelli was able to build a margin of more than one second within the opening laps.
By lap 10, Antonelli’s lead had increased to five seconds. Hamilton reduced the deficit during the next phase as the leader encountered traffic, with the gap briefly falling below three seconds while early stoppers were being lapped. However, once clear of traffic, Antonelli soon began to pull away with Hamilton struggling to macth the prodigious pace of the 19-year-old.
Ferrari stopped both Hamilton and Leclerc before half distance, while Antonelli remained on track for several laps longer. When the Mercedes driver made his stop, he rejoined with a 17.3-second margin over Hamilton and continued to pull away.
The complexion of the race changed on lap 60 when Stroll struck the wall at Antony Noghes, bringing out the Safety Car. Several drivers pitted during the intervention, including Hamilton, who served a pit-lane speeding penalty during his stop. After five laps under Safety Car conditions, the field prepared for a restart on lap 66, but Leclerc then crashed at the same corner, prompting a second Safety Car and, shortly afterwards, a red flag.
Race Control halted the event while marshals cleared debris and the FIA inspected the track surface. A recently resurfaced section on the entry to the final corner had degraded, leaving asphalt debris on the racing line.
After a 40-minute stoppage, the race resumed with a standing start. Antonelli started from pole position alongside Hamilton and covered the Ferrari into the first corner. He then controlled the closing laps to take the win ahead of Hamilton.
Isack Hadjar was classified third after Pierre Gasly, who had crossed the line ahead of him, received two five-second penalties for pit-lane speeding and dropped to P7. HOweverm despite Hadjar taking his first podium with Red Bull Racing and the second of his career, he remained under investigation after the race for a potential procedural infringement under the red flag.
Oscar Piastri crossed the line fourth but McLaren team-mate Lando Norris was forced to retire due to a battery issue. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad delivered a strong points result for Racing Bulls with fifth and sixth respectively. Lindblad benefited from the red flag to change tyres after completing the earlier phase without a pit stop.
With Gasly seventh, Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon took eighth and ninth. Sergio Pérez provisionally completed the top 10, moving ahead of Nico Hülkenberg after the Haas driver received a late 10-second penalty for contact with Carlos Sainz at the hairpin following the lap 71 restart. Pérez also awaited a stewards’ decision for a possible false start at the restart, having earlier served a penalty for lining up in Gabriel Bortoleto’s empty grid box.
George Russell finished 13th after Mercedes failed to serve a five-second pit-lane speeding penalty correctly during his second stop, resulting in a drive-through penalty.
2026 FIA Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix – Race
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 78 2:23'31.243
2 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 78 2:23'37.514 6.271
3 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 78 2:23'54.637 23.394
4 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 78 2:23'55.504 24.261
5 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 78 2:23'57.796 26.553
6 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 78 2:24'00.253 29.010
7 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 78 2:24'01.612 30.369
8 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 78 2:24'04.656 33.413
9 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 78 2:24'08.383 37.140
10 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 78 2:24'10.396 39.153
11 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 78 2:24'13.142 41.899
12 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 78 2:24'13.991 42.748
13 George Russell Mercedes 78 2:24'14.596 43.353
14 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 78 2:24'15.345 44.102
15 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 78 2:24'20.207 48.964
16 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 70 2:13'32.889 8 laps
Charles Leclerc Ferrari 64 1:25'42.849 Retirement
Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 56 1:15'16.761 Retirement
Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 43 56'36.709 Retirement
Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 27 36'57.098 Retirement
Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 15 21'03.117 Retirement
Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 0 - Retirement
