Kimi Antonelli once again proved that he is going through the best moment of his young career and took the Monaco Grand Prix after a dominant performance from start to finish. The Mercedes driver started from pole position and achieved his fifth consecutive victory of the 2026 season.
The race began with an unexpected turn of events. Max Verstappen, who started from the front row, suffered a problem at the start when his car stalled on the grid. The Dutchman fell to the back of the pack and, fearing further damage to the car, the team decided to retire the car immediately. Verstappen's retirement left the path clear for Antonelli, who took advantage of the situation to control the race from the start.
The race was far from quiet. Valtteri Bottas and Oliver Bearman also had to retire, while Lando Norris also failed to finish. In addition, several drivers were penalized during the race, including Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto and Isack Hadjar, on a day where the stewards had plenty of work.
Despite being Monaco, where overtaking is usually scarce, the race had numerous incidents and two Safety Car interventions. However, nothing seemed to alter Antonelli's dominance, as he built a 27 second lead over his pursuers and seemed headed for a trouble free victory.
Everything changed on lap 68. Charles Leclerc suffered a heavy crash at the same corner where Lance Stroll had previously had problems. The impact caused a red flag and a long interruption while the stewards inspected the condition of the track. The investigation revealed a lifting of the asphalt in the accident area, forcing a review of track safety before authorizing the restart.
After several minutes of uncertainty, the race resumed with a standing start. Antonelli reacted flawlessly again and maintained the lead. In contrast, Hadjar lost two positions on the restart and saw his podium hopes complicated on track, although later penalties again modified the final order.
The final part also saw the retirement of Carlos Sainz, involved in a double incident that ended his race. Meanwhile, George Russell received a drive through penalty that compromised his chances of fighting for further forward positions.
Finally, Antonelli crossed the line in first place to add another victory and confirm the extraordinary level he has been showing since the beginning of the year. Lewis Hamilton inherited second place and Hadjar finished on the podium after the penalties applied at the end of the race.
The race also left a historic milestone for McLaren, which reached its 1000th Grand Prix in Formula 1. In addition, Racing Bulls closed one of its best performances of the season by placing both of its drivers in the points, finishing sixth and seventh.
On a day marked by incidents, penalties and a red flag that altered the development of the race, only 15 of the 22 drivers managed to see the checkered flag. However, above all, one certainty remained, Kimi Antonelli continues to write a season that is already beginning to enter the history books of Formula 1.
