MONTE CARLO — Kimi Antonelli dominated an eventful Monaco Grand Prix to claim his fifth win of the season, extending his lead in the standings while his teammate George Russell failed to score.
Antonelli avoided the late drama to consolidate his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings even further, beating Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar in an exhilarating race that saw seven drivers retire.
At lights out in Monaco, the Mercedes racer calmly maintained first place as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen faced a devastating issue at the start that saw him slide down the order before he became the first to DNF.
While others struggled with various mechanical problems that forced them out of the action, including Valtteri Bottas and McLaren driver Lando Norris, Antonelli consistently opened up his advantage over the Ferrari pair of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
However, his win was threatened with around 20 laps remaining when Lance Stroll crashed at the final corner, bringing out a Safety Car that allowed many to take a second pit stop without losing too much time.
It may have put Antonelli’s lead in danger, but it offered a brilliant opportunity for those who had been handed time penalties for speeding in the pit lane to serve them during the race.
The restart was short-lived as local favorite Leclerc experienced an identical crash to Stroll’s and the event was halted to inspect track break-up at the site.
Pierre Gasly finished ahead on the road but dropped down the order thanks to two five-second penalties – with Oscar Piastri and Liam Lawson taking fourth and fifth place.
“It’s been an incredible weekend, an incredible race,” Antonelli said. “It was one of those days where we had incredible pace and it was just coming all so naturally.
“The car was feeling incredible and it was just giving me the confidence to push, so it was a very enjoyable day.”
