Antonelli Wins Chaotic 2026 Monaco GP as Track Breaks Up, Multiple Crashes Force Red Flag and Penalties Reshuffle Order
Antonelli led every lap from pole in round six. Multiple crashes, red flag, and pit-lane penalties reshaped the finishing order.
Kimi Antonelli started the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix on pole position, led every lap, and won the race. The result was round six of the Formula 1 season. The race was disrupted on lap 60 when Lance Stroll crashed into the barrier at the final corner, bringing out a safety car.
After the restart, Charles Leclerc crashed into the barriers at the same corner. The race was red-flagged because the track surface at the final turn was breaking up, with big chunks of asphalt built up near the racing line. George Russell and Oscar Piastri both reported on team radio that the surface was breaking up.
Marshals swept away the damaged road surface before the race resumed for its final seven laps. Five drivers were penalised for speeding in the pit lane: Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly and George Russell. Gasly received two pit-lane speeding penalties, resulting in a 10-second time penalty at the finish.
He dropped from third to seventh place. "Honestly, I am just heartbroken," Gasly said after the race. "I just can't get my head around what happened. It just doesn't sound fair. Triple-checked with the team, they say it's the right speed in the car.
Alpine requested a right of review of Gasly's penalties. Mercedes failed to serve George Russell's five-second penalty during his second pit stop under the safety car, leading to a drive-through penalty that knocked him out of the points. Max Verstappen had no power in his Red Bull at the start and retired after completing one lap.
"The formation lap was not going very well. After that, the pre-start was terrible; there was just no consistency," Verstappen said. "Then the engine just dropped out. " Lewis Hamilton finished second, recording his eighth podium in Monaco and tying the record with Ayrton Senna.
Kim Kardashian attended the race cheering for Hamilton. The result moved Hamilton to second in the drivers' championship. Antonelli leads the championship by 66 points over Hamilton and 68 points over Russell.
Sergio Perez started in the wrong grid box and received a drive-through penalty. Cadillac initially believed it had scored its first Formula 1 point when Perez was classified 10th after Nico Hulkenberg was penalised for causing a late crash. Perez was then penalised for not lining up in his grid box properly during the restart after the red flag.
Fernando Alonso was awarded 10th place.
