Kimi Antonelli has taken victory in one of the longer races in Monaco in recent history, as a late red flag and a million penalties added drama. Talking of drama, our 2026 Monaco F1 Grand Prix Result Summary is full of it as always.
This 2026 Monaco Grand Prix Result, Laps that Matter summary, Review & Ratings gives you just enough to catch up with. With just a hint of cynicism, bias, opinion and colour. The perfect bite sized review for those who couldn’t be bothered, or don’t have enough time.
READ MORE: 2026 Monaco GP Prix-view
READ MORE: 2026 Canadian GP and 2026 Season Ratings
READ MORE: 2026 Canadian GP Race Report
2026 Monaco F1 Grand Prix Result Race Summary
Didn’t see the race live? Don’t have time to watch the whole race? Here’s where we capture the laps where stuff happened. We write these live as we go, sort of like a minute by minute for the football, but marginally more interesting.
Setting the scene – QUALIFYING
Ferrari were massive favourites heading into qualifying, but it was the Championship leader Kimi Antonelli who continues to show speed and maturity that seems unlikely at his stage of his F1 career. He stole it from Max Verstappen at the very end, although Charles Leclerc could have had the final say but stuffed his final lap. George Russell continued to be strangely off the pace, and the McLarens in their 1000th Grand Prix looked fast enough at times, but not quite top tier this season. But having eight genuinely fast cars in Qualifying is great viewing.
GRID AFTER Q3 – ANT VER HAM LEC HAD RUS PIA NOR GAS LAW
Setting the scene – RACEDAY
It is dry and warm (mid 20C), which is a bit of a shame. After watching the F2 races this weekend, it gives a preview to just how dull this race could be. At least they had a supersoft tyre without tyre warming blankets at pit stops which made the cars undriveable for a lap or so for entertainment. Back to F1 and it is a very interesting front row with the first real clash at the front between the young charger Antonelli and the hard charging multiple World Champion Max Verstappen, especially with Antonelli not making the best starts this season. With margins so fine, and the thought of 70 laps behind a car, the first few corners could be very interesting.
News before the race starts is that Liam Lawson’s car is broken and his best case scenario is starting from pitlane, he made the grid. Gabriel Bortoleto is starting from the pitlane though. Everyone is on the medium tyre except for the Cadillacs, who will be hoping to embarrass Aston Martin further.
Lap 1 – Kimi Antonelli gets away ok but Max Verstappen beside him barely moves and has stalled….He quickly nudges the car to the left to avoid getting smashed from the closing pack and does so thank goodness, and does get going but last. Into the first corner Sainte Devote Kimi Antonelli heads the field, from the Ferraris and his team mate. The McLarens argue over a place and Lando Norris lsoes out to Piastri and Pierre Gasly on the straight up the hill. Further back the cars all behave themselves around the first lap. Except for Oliver Bearman who pits after reported first lap damage. He continues. Max Verstappen comes into the pits at the end of lap one and retires.
ORDER – ANT HAM LEC HAD RUS PIA GAS NOR LAW ALB
Lap 3 – Kimi Antonelli is already leading by three seconds, so this race will need a sizable rookie-ish error for there to be a change of winner. It could happen. Although, the “rookie-ish” error seems to have come from his vastly more experienced teammate George Russell who is under investigation for a start line procedure issue. So his underwhelming weekend so far is about to get less whelming. Although a few laps later the stewards say it was ok, replays show that Lando Norris dobbed him in via radio.
Lap 4 – Sergio Perez in the Cadillac is up to 14th and reportedly made an overtake at a very difficult place. Although they are all difficulty, passing where he did at Massenet (sweeping left at the top of the hill) is mighty. Fernando Alonso pits for tyres, as does Sergio Perez himself a lap later.
Lap 6 – Kimi Antonelli is four seconds ahead now, with Lewis Hamilton three seconds in front of Charles Leclerc and the only realistic battle in the top ten being Norris v Gasly. This could be a long night, any gaps in reporting could be due to a sudden micro nap.
Lap 11 – Kimi Antonelli stretches the lead out to over five seconds and another four seconds to Leclerc. Although he did drop one second as he dealt with lapped cars. There’s a potential hope for a race changing error. Or more of a hope. Other backmarkers have pit, but they make little difference to the race so far.
ORDER – ANT HAM LEC HAD RUS PIA GAS NOR LAW ALB
Lap 14 – Still waiting on a replay, but word on the street(s) of Monaco is that Haas drivers collided on the first lap. If true, Esteban Ocon certainly has form. Ocon ended his Alpine career effectively when he wiped out then team mate Pierre Gasly at Monaco a few years ago. With more information, it appears to be Bearman’s fault. This time.
Lap 16 – Replays show Alex Albon locking a brake and running straight over and not around the chicane. Yep, that’s about where the action is at the moment. A midfield Williams doing not much.
Lap 17 – George Russell is trying to revive his weekend by harassing Isack Hadjar for fourth place. Strap yourself in, they’ll show this battle for the next ten laps. Meanwhile Valtteri Bottas retires with a mechanical DNF. His team mate Sergio Perez is back to third last after daring to achieve with 14th earlier in the race.
Lap 23 – First micro nap snooze over and done with and no change in the order. Although George Russell is now very close to Hadjar, and replays show Charles Leclerc running straight on over the chicane after the tunnel. The earlier more interesting battle between Gasly and Norris continue to remain close.
Lap 26 – Proper attempt by George Russell on Isack Hadjar into the chicane and then more on the way to the next corner Tabac. This could end in a super pass by Russell or disaster. Hadjar’s car looks hard to handle and he may bin it himself. He has form here. Talking of disaster, the 25 seconds Hadjar is behind Charles Leclerc means Antonelli gets a free pit stop.
Lap 28 – Hadjar cuts the chicane and might have to hand over the position for keeping position. He doesn’t, don’t blame him.
Lap 29 – Lewis Hamilton pits for new hard tyres from second place. He exits the pits in clean air, so this is a real interest point for the race over the next few laps.
Lap 32 – Even George Russell is bored of his battle with Isack Hadjar and pits. He rejoins behind Lando Norris in 8th. A lap later Isack Hadjar pits for new tyres. He exits the pits just as Geworge Russell drives past and the Mercedes carries the momentum past the Red Bull and takes the place.
Lap 34 – Lewis Hamilton is under investigation for pitlane speeding. And penalty comes half a minute later – five seconds.
Lap 35 – Lando Norris is also bored of his battle with Pierre Gasly, well his McLaren is anyways, as the engine is starting to play up and he drops back from Gasly and looks certain to retire, but Norris soldiers on for now.
ORDER – ANT HAM LEC PIA GAS NOR RUS HAD LAW ALB
Lap 37 – Now George Russell is under investigation for pitlane speeding. Just when his weekend was getting better. Meanwhile the better placed Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli pits from a lead of over half a minute, and his stop is like clockwork and he retains the lead. Russell gets a penalty a few laps later of five seconds.
Lap 40 – Franco Colapinto gets a five second penalty for pitlane speeding. Everyone gets a penalty it seems.
Lap 43 – Russell has caught up to Lando Norris and is spending his time staring at the back of another car. He has half a go into the chicane on lap 44. Even worse for Russell, he is under investigation for another pitlane penalty, this time crossing the exit lane on his way out of his pitstop. He does get a slice of luck soon.
Lap 45 – Lando Norris pits and retires from the Monaco Grand Prix with engine troubles. Tough season for McLaren this year.
Lap 47 – Liam Lawson pits and keeps 8th place. Further back Williams are playing silly buggers by swapping Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon to and get Albon to hold up the pack for a Sainz pit stop. A lot of effort from Williams to get both into the points. It’s a decent Monaco train. Alex Albon complains on radio towards his team that this tactic could ruin his race. It sort of does as Arvid Lindblad takes his tenth place.
ORDER – ANT HAM LEC PIA RUS HAD GAS LAW SAI LIN
Lap 49 – Oscar Piastri finally pits and drops from 4th to 6th, but with renewed interest to chase Hadjar for 5th.
Lap 51 – It doesn’t come much easier for Antonelli, ahead by 22 seconds, second placed Hamilton has a five second penalty, and his team mate is about to get another five second penalty.
Lap 54 – Pierre Gasly joins the penalty club. Oscar Piastri is now under investigation for pitlane speeding, and it doesn’t take long for the McLaren to officially get a penalty. George Russell’s second penalty doesn’t happen as stewards close the investigation without penalty.
Lap 55 – Carlos Sainz pits and rejoins just in front of Alex Albon, which sort of worked, except Lindblad got ahead of Albon. They are meant to swap positions and do so on lap 59 when they were safely enough apart.
Lap 56 – Kimi Antonelli reports via radio that he “heard something funny going up the hill”. DNF appears to be the only way to stop him. He’s 27 seconds in front.
ORDER – ANT HAM LEC RUS HAD PIA GAS LAW LIN SAI
Lap 59 – Replays show Charles Leclerc clipping the barrier exiting the chicane. The car seems ok for now, but we’ll see.
Lap 60 – Accident….who could it be now….ahhh, Lance Stroll. And he’s gone straight on at the final corner which is a really strange place to crash. Except if you’re a low talent plodder who would have been sacked years ago if he wasn’t son of the owner.
SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED
Kimi Antonelli is not stopping for new tyres but the Ferrari of Lewis Hamitlon is. So is Leclerc and a lapped Piastri. Penalties served for both drivers. Kimi Antonelli does pit a lap later and so does most of the field now. With most of the field having been lapped, this Safety Car allows for them all to unlap themselves. We could be in for a very interesting final section of the race. Thanks to Lance Stroll. George Russell pits but doesn’t appear to take his penalty which is a bit silly. If he’s not careful the stewards might make him come in and do it. Russell is unhappy over the radio, again.
ORDER – ANT HAM LEC HAD RUS GAS PIA LAW LIN ALB
SAFETY CAR EXITS
Lap 65 – Good restart from Kimi Antonelli as he tries hard to warm up his cold tyres and keep ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Accident….less of a good restart from Charles Leclerc who runs into the same barrier that caused the Safety Car in the first place. He is out from third place, and even worse, had an accident just like Lance Stroll at the last corner, and he’s furious with his team.
ORDER – ANT HAM HAD RUS GAS PIA LAW LIN ALB SAI
SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED
Cars run through the pitlane again as the last corner is blocked. Bad news for Pierre Gasly who is under investigation for another pitlane speeding penalty, and get one. George Russell getting the official penalty for not serving the other penalty at the pitstop. Maybe all these penalties are a tribute to the FIFA World Cup. Given Russell is losing because of penalties, and he’s English, maybe it is true.
RACE RED FLAGGED
Lap 68 – The race has been stopped……looks like they have stopped the race to investigate the condition of the track at the last corner. Perhaps they are taking it seriously now the home town hero crashed out. No one beleive3d them when it was Lance Stroll, why would they and why should they. The track does appear to be breaking up at the final corner, with even a pothole looking section. They deploy several machines to fix it.
More penalty news….now Isack Hadjar is under investigation for a Safety Car infringement. So many penalties.
More penalty news: George Russell gets a drive through pitlane penalty for not serving the other five second penalty. The timing of it with a condensed bunch of car due to the red flag is a further punishment. Sky F1 report that George Russell left his car to go to the stewards room to argue his case.
More penalty news: Lewis Hamilton under investigation for Safety Car infringement.
Oscar Piastri might get a Monaco podium from sixth.
It’s 1am in Australia and this race isn’t any closer to starting. Correction: race starting in ten minutes at 1:10am.
ORDER – ANT HAM HAD RUS GAS PIA LAW LIN ALB SAI
RACE RESTARTS BEHIND THE SAFETY CAR
Lap 69 – Kimi Antonelli leads the field out of the pitlane as they follow the Safety Car. Penalty news: Investigation into Lewis Hamilton is dismissed.
Standing start has been announced, so that adds spice late in the race. Potentially really unfair on Kimi Antonelli.
Lap 70 – Race restarts and Kimi Antonelli makes a good start and keeps the lead, with Lewis Hamilton to keep him honest. Behind those two George Russell makes a good start with Pierre Gasly and they demote Isack Hadjar down the field. Further back Nico Hulkenberg clips Carlos Sainz at the hairpin as all the cars go two wide in the second half of the field. Sainz into the wall and out of the race. A corner later Colapinto finishes the job on Sainz. George Russell heads into the pits to serve his drive through penalty.
ORDER – ANT HAM RUS GAS HAD PIA LAW LIN ALB HUL
Lap 72 – More penalty news: Isack Hadjar gets a Red Flag infringement to go with his Safety Car infringement. Pierre Gasly has a ten second penalty and is three seconds ahead of Hadjar and five ahead of Piastri. Gasly will lose a podium, which is a shame for him.
Lap 75 – With all the chaos behind Kimi Antonelli is cruising out in front, three seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who is 17 seconds ahead of Gasly after five or so laps. Amazing. Sad for Sergio Perez – currently 11th and on the verge of points and first for Cadillac – gets an investigation notice too.
ORDER – ANT HAM GAS HAD PIA LAW LIN ALB HUL OCO
FINAL LAP – Kimi Antonelli takes all the drama in his stride and wins the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix – a fifth straight win. Lewis Hamilton confirms his second best status by taking second in the race and now Championship. Pierre Gasly crosses the line in third place but drops to 7th as his ten seconds worth of penalties are applied. Isack Hadjar is bumped up to third but also has penalties. So Oscar Piastri who crossed the line 5th could take third. Liam Lawson takes a career best equaling 5th and his team mate is 6th in a good day for Racing Bulls. Nico Hulkenberg finishes in the top ten but is handed a ten second penalty for the clash with Sainz. So Sergio Perez takes 10th and a first place for Cadillac. Although he is also under investigation. But who knows if this will be the final order. May take hours to decide it all, that we don’t have.
FINAL ORDER (Across the line with penalties we know applied) – ANT HAM HAD PIA LAW LIN GAS ALB HUL OCO
FINAL ORDER – ANT HAM HAD PIA LAW LIN GAS ALB OCO ALO
Here we go through the field and highlight the very best (Great) of the race, and the plodders, the over-ambitious, the out of luck, and simply hopeless (Grape).
These points get added to our Driver of the Season scores. 5 points for a great nomination, and -5 for the worst or grapest driver in the pack. Then it is +2 /-2 for honourable or dishonourable mentions.
THE GREAT-EST – KIMI ANTONELLI
Took a sensational pole position, and led the race so comfortably. Was half a minute ahead when the first Safety Car came out. Handled the restarts like a pro. Takes advantage of an off weekend by his mate to extend the Championship lead even further.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
LEWIS HAMILTON – Despite a penalty, he was second best all race and the leading Ferrari driver in qualifying. His Ferrari career is on an upward curve compared to last year.
LIAM LAWSON – Given he made the grid to start his hard earned grid slot in the top ten was good enough, as it looked likely before the start that it wouldn’t be happening. Drove a very solid race to very solid points and an equal best result.
PIERRE GASLY – Best of the rest again, but penalties hurt his chances to spring a real surprise result. Deserved a podium.
SERGIO PEREZ – Whether he keeps tenth place is unknown at time of writing, but what an effort to get that close.
THE GRAPE-EST – GEORGE RUSSELL
Another weekend where he has been outclassed by his younger teammate. Any grumpiness in that not helped with a lowly 6th qualifying spot in a car that was meant to waltz away with this year’s Championship. That lowly position saw him spend the first half of his race staring at the back of Hadjar’s Red Bull. Nor would the five second penalty for speeding have made him smile. Or the penalty for not serving the other penalty correctly. But at least he finished this race. But no points.
DISHONOURABLE MENTIONS
MAX VERSTAPPEN – After qualifying second and thinking your chances of beating the usually slow starting Antonelli off the line are high, the race couldn’t go much worse. His car barely moved off the line and he went into self-preservation mode as not to get hit from behind. But a potential win, and minimum podium at Monaco goes begging as he retired at the end of lap one.
OLIVER BEARMAN – A terrible weekend, missed Q3, had an incident with his team mate on the first lap. Tooled around at the back until eventually retiring on lap 31.
NICO HULKENBERG – More of a disappointment in what could have been. Looking fast and a chance to really annoy the top four teams, and then falls short of getting into Q3 again. So instead of grabbing lots of good points, he tools around the lower midfield in the race. Could have got points, but then penalised for a clash involved Carlos Sainz.
VALTTERI BOTTAS – Things aren’t going that well for Cadillac, but you have to admit that we expected much worse, like 107% qualifying fails. So the team is kind-of doing well, but not really for Valtteri Bottas. Seems to be outperformed by Sergio Perez at most races and sessions and have most of the bad luck. Monaco was another not great race. Pity, we love him, and he’s half Australian.
LANCE STROLL – Qualified dead last, seven tenths behind Alonso. Wasn’t dead last in the race at least but makes no difference as he bins it into the wall.
CHARLES LECLERC –Â Favourite for pole position, and therefore best chance to win the Monaco Grand Prix but was strangely off form. Outqualified and out-raced by team mate Lewis Hamilton. Then stuck it into the wall causing the Red Flag.
MONACO TRACK – The track breaking up badly enough to call a Red Flag is very grape behaviour.
Was it a good race, loads of action, a tense ending, a surprise result or DNF, or just a big, fat, snooze-fest?
We rate the big race itself, so we know which races to go back and watch in the off season or one to simply remember the winner for the post season quiz nights.
PRE RACE ACTION (FP, QUAL, SPRINT, OFF TRACK etc) – 5 / 5
No sprint, but it doesn’t need it and it would only be dull. Because it’s Monaco, you do tend to watch all the Practice sessions in amazement at why and how these cars race around such an absurd track. Best part of those sessions is Martin Brundle standing trackside at places close enough to lose his finger if he pointed it at the cars. It alone deserves a good 30 minutes. So even without a fascinating and tense qualifying, it is action enough just watching the cars go around.
ON TRACK ACTION (RACE) – 6 / 10
Ok. so it was pretty dull at times, with the usual TV focusing on a battle which is close but never seems to lead to an overtake. But the start helped to liven up the action, as did the penalties, Safety Cars.
ANY SURPRISES? – 5 / 5
Lots of surprises. Max Verstappen not getting off the line. Multiple penalties for drivers in top positions. Safety Cars and the race itself being stopped because the track was not safe and cost two drivers their race. Charles Leclerc into the wall.
SEASON IMPORTANCE – 4 / 5
Kimi Antonelli dominates as his closest rival and team mate George Russell has another shocker. Max Verstappen barely gets off the line making his life so much easier for the race. It’s all going his way at the moment, luck being very important over a season challenging for a Championship.
ENDING – 4 / 5
Plenty of action with Safety Cars then a Red Flag restart, clashes, crashes and multiple penalties applied and finishing orders unknown.
OVERALL RATING – 24 / 30
A long one as Safety Cars and Red Flag stops the race. An important Championship blow for Kimi Antonelli as he clears George Russell in points and the mental side advantage. Some of the laps may have been hard to stay awake for, but the nature of the track meant something wasn’t far away, and it certainly ramped up towards the end.
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