Kimi Antonelli beats Lewis Hamilton to win suspended Monaco GP, more F1 title pain for George Russell

Andrea Kimi Antonelli further strengthened his lead at the top of the Formula 1 world championship with a convincing victory at the Monaco Grand Prix, which had to be red-flagged.

The 19-year-old Italian converted his maiden Monaco pole position into his first victory at F1’s crown jewel grand prix with a commanding performance that underlined his status as the favourite in the title race.

Antonelli looked to be into complete control of the race and had been leading by nearly 30 seconds when the race was turned on its head when it was suspended to inspect a broken up part of the track.

2026 F1 Monaco Grand Prix: Full race results 

The red flag came after both Charles Leclerc and Lance Stroll crashed out at the final corner, where part of the asphalt had broken away from the track, potentially causing both incidents.

Following a near-40 minute delay, the race finally resumed with a standing start with just eight laps remaining.

For the second time on Sunday, Antonelli aced the start and kept his head amid the drama and chaos to successfully keep Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari at bay to seal another crucial win and his fifth on the bounce. 

Behind seven-time world champion Hamilton, Isack Hadjar took third on the road to claim his first podium for Red Bull. However, Hadjar faces a post-race investigation for a potential red-flag infringement. 

Antonelli’s fifth win from the opening six races has seen him pull 68 points clear of Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who endured a painful afternoon on another disappointing weekend he had no answer to his title rival’s searing pace.

Two penalties ruined Russell’s race, leaving him out of the points and down in 13th in the latest disastrous blow to his F1 title hopes. 

Russell first picked up a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, before being hit with a drive-through penalty for failing to serve his original punishment when mechanics touched his car when he pitted under the safety car. 

The 28-year-old Briton has now fallen to third spot in the drivers' standings, two points behind Hamilton, who secured his second straight podium and third rostrum of the season. 

Oscar Piastri finished fourth for McLaren ahead of the Racing Bulls pair of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, with Pierre Gasly seventh for Alpine. 

Alex Albon took eighth for Williams ahead of Haas's Esteban Ocon, while Sergio Perez secured Cadillac's first-ever F1 points. The Mexican is however under investigation over a possible false start and may yet lose his 10th place finish. 

Along with Leclerc and Stroll, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, Ollie Bearman, Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen all failed to finish.

Last year's Monaco Grand Prix winner and world champion Norris was forced to retire with power unit trouble, while Verstappen retired at the end of the first lap after stalling his Red Bull when the lights went out.