Kimi Antonelli Makes History as Youngest Monaco Grand Prix Winner
Nineteen-year-old Kimi Antonelli has firmly etched his name into the Formula 1 history books after delivering a flawless performance to win a dramatic Monaco Grand Prix. Starting from pole position the Mercedes teenager navigated traffic, a red flag and immense pressure to secure his fifth consecutive win. In doing so he became the youngest Monaco Grand Prix winner in the sport’s history.
Antonelli extended his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to a commanding 66 points over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton crossed the line in second place despite a time penalty earning his eighth podium in Monaco, a remarkable achievement that ties him with the legendary Ayrton Senna.
Rounding out the top three was Isack Hadjar. After a bruising Friday practice crash the young Frenchman bounced back spectacularly to claim his first podium for Red Bull benefitting from a string of penalties applied to the cars ahead.
Sergio Perez has also added another achievement to his career accomplishment list by securing the first ever championship point for the Cadillac F1 team.
Early drama and six retired cars
The tight and unforgiving streets of Monte Carlo took no prisoners resulting in a high rate of attrition. The chaos began before the first corner when front-row starter Max Verstappen stalled his Red Bull. After complaining of a terrible launch and a dying engine the Dutchman became the first casualty of the afternoon on lap three.
He was soon joined by an expanding list of drivers. In total there were six retired cars before the race was even halted for a red flag:
- Max Verstappen: Power unit failure on the opening lap
- Valtteri Bottas: Overheating brakes
- Ollie Bearman: Collision damage from an opening lap clash with his Haas teammate
- Lando Norris: Persistent power unit issues
- Lance Stroll: Crashed into the barriers at Turn 19
- Charles Leclerc: Crashed at the exact same spot as Stroll a few laps later
Red flags and restart chaos
The defining moment of the grand prix came when local hero Charles Leclerc slid into the barriers at Turn 19. Replays confirmed he had fallen foul of the same track break-up and marble accumulation that had caught out Lance Stroll moments prior. The FIA swiftly deployed the red flag to inspect and sweep the track surface.
Following a lengthy delay the drivers reformed for a standing start. Antonelli executed a perfect launch to retain his lead over Hamilton. Further down the pack Nico Hulkenberg tagged Carlos Sainz into the wall to add a seventh and final retirement to the afternoon’s tally.
While Antonelli cruised in clean air to an emphatic victory the midfield order was entirely rewritten by the stewards. Pierre Gasly had driven a brilliant race to finish third on the road but was demoted to seventh due to a litany of pit lane speed infringements. This promoted Hadjar to a famous third place ahead of Oscar Piastri, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad. Alex Albon, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon rounded out the final points-paying positions.
A race defined by penalties
The pit lane speed limit in Monaco is notoriously tight and a staggering number of drivers were caught out on Sunday. Below is a complete breakdown of the penalties handed out by the FIA stewards during the chaotic 78-lap event.
| Driver | Offence | Penalty |
| Sergio Perez | False start (out of position) | Drive-through penalty |
| Lewis Hamilton | Speeding in the pit lane | 5-second time penalty |
| George Russell | Speeding in the pit lane | 5-second time penalty |
| George Russell | Failing to serve penalty correctly | Drive-through penalty |
| Franco Colapinto | Speeding in the pit lane | 5-second time penalty |
| Pierre Gasly | Speeding in the pit lane (x2) | 10-second time penalty |
| Lance Stroll | Track limits | 5-second time penalty |
| Oscar Piastri | Speeding in the pit lane | 5-second time penalty |
| Nico Hulkenberg | Causing a collision with Carlos Sainz | 10-second time penalty |
Notably, Max Verstappen said in the post-race interview that he was heading home since it was only 500 meters away and he was later spotted with his family on a yacht.
Note: Sergio Perez and Isack Hadjar were also placed under post-race investigation for further red flag and start infringements.
