Formula 1 has again headed to Monaco for its annual Grand Prix around the streets of the famous principality, and a chaotic race was totally dominated by Mercedes’ rising star, Kimi Antonelli, as the Italian teenager made it five victories in a row.

The Monaco Grand Prix first took place in 1929 and has been a fixture on the F1 calendar since 1955. Having reported on many Grands Prix there in person, I can definitely vouch for the special atmosphere which the event generates, particularly on race day. There have been so many memorable ontrack moments over the years, although the tight confines of the iconic temporary street circuit can often make overtaking virtually impossible unless the driver ahead makes a mistake, and the racing can, as a result, become somewhat processional.

For the Monaco round this year, the FIA governing body chose to ban the use of the new 2026 active aerodynamics and “straight mode” on all F1 cars due to concerns about potentially increased top speeds and related safety issues, particularly on the stretch of the track following the exit of the tunnel. This decision meant that fixed aerodynamic surfaces were used instead, with revised engine mapping also introduced to limit maximum speeds.

There was high drama at the very start of the race when Verstappen was forced into immediate retirement with a power unit issue, but fortunately all the other cars managed to fly past the almost stationary four-time champion without making any contact.

Mercedes and, in particular, a certain young Italian called Kimi Antonelli, have been having an excellent season to date, but, as Friday's and Saturday’s trio of free practice sessions neared, it was Ferrari which was expected to shine, as, although its power unit is a little lacking, ultimate bhp is relatively unimportant in Monaco, and its 2026 car is very strong in slow and medium-speed corners, which prevail in the Principality.

The Monaco weekend actually started badly for both McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc before a wheel had even been turned ontrack after both were summoned to see the stewards, having failed to turn up on time for Thursday’s Driver Press Conferences. It may seem a fairly innocuous offence, but the six drivers selected to appear on the Thursday of every F1 round are told many days in advance, and their failure to be ready on time affects global screening timetables and is disrespectful and disruptive to all concerned. Fortunately though, it is usually rare for drivers not to be present and ready to share their thoughts on time.

As expected, Ferrari dominated Friday’s pair of opening free practice sessions, with Max Verstappen the best of the rest for Red Bull. However, young Antonelli set the fastest time in final practice ahead of the Ferraris, while Ferrari's team principal, Fred Vasseur, was absent from the track on Saturday, as he was under observation at a local medical facility. The three practice hours had been littered with four red flag stoppages, hardly any surprise with the margins between kissing and hitting the barriers around Monaco so marginal but crucial to success or failure in terms of lap time.

Being quickest in practice is all well and good, but, particularly at Monaco, qualifying at or very near the front of the grid is absolutely crucial if you want to stand any real chance of glory in the Grand Prix and what a thrilling spectacle qualifying proved to be under the Monégasque sunshine. Having just won four Grands Prix in a row, a flying Antonelli produced a magical late lap to take pole position after setting a time a mere 43 milliseconds faster than Verstappen. This left Hamilton and Leclerc disappointed to only be on the second row, although the latter had looked set for pole himself, to the delight of the many home fans present, but it was not to be, with an accident at Tabac during his final attempt helping to decide matters.

Just as racing resumed, the safety car was immediately back in action again, though after Leclerc crashed his car at the same place as Stroll had and the officials quickly called for a red flag suspension of the Grand Prix ...

Significantly, Russell, who had arrived in Monaco trying to play mind games with his 19-year-old Mercedes teammate, could manage no better than sixth, and McLaren had a disappointing qualifying by their own high standards, being only seventh and eighth quickest. However, at least they were far from the slowest two cars on the grid, a dubious honour which was earned by the Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, who would line up for the race dead last.

There was high drama at the very start of the race when Verstappen was forced into immediate retirement with a power unit issue, but fortunately all the other cars managed to fly past the almost stationary four-time champion without making any contact. This left Antonelli, Hamilton and Leclerc as the leading trio, but, in a manner reminiscent of the late great Ayrton Senna around the streets of Monaco, the Mercedes driver quickly set about building a significant lead over the Ferrari duo, while behind them Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar had to work hard to generate performance from his ill-handling car to keep Russell behind.

The Grand Prix was set to be a one-stop race for most drivers, and Hamilton was the first of the frontrunners to pit for fresh tyres. However, he also picked up a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, and this was the first of many for other drivers too, including Russell, as the encounter progressed. Retirement for Norris followed, and by lap 59 Antonelli was a mighty 29 seconds ahead of second-placed Hamilton, making every other driver look slow in comparison. In fact, Mercedes instructed their young protégé to slow down and just bring the car home, reminiscent of the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix during which the McLaren team principal, Ron Dennis, had given Senna a similar instruction, although on that May day the Brazilian triple champion was to crash out shortly afterwards and throw away a clear-cut victory.

A safety car intervention followed Stroll’s Aston Martin had speared into the barriers at the final Antony Noghes corner, prompting a flurry of further pitstops. When Russell undertook his, Mercedes failed to make him serve his previous time penalty, an error that led to the driver receiving a drive-through penalty as well. Just as racing resumed, the safety car was immediately back in action again, though after Leclerc crashed his car at the same place as Stroll had and the officials quickly called for a red flag suspension of the Grand Prix due to concerns about a part of the track surface at that corner starting to break up.

Following a short delay, we had a full standing start from the grid after a couple of reconnaissance laps behind the safety car and Antonelli continued to remain so calm as he sprinted into the lead again on his way to the chequered flag and a totally deserved win. We Formula 1 correspondents have already written so many superlatives about him, wondering if his amazing performances will continue, but he simply keeps making us stand back and admire his extraordinary talent. Hamilton and Hadjar joined him on the post-race podium, although the latter knew he was still awaiting a subsequent stewards’ investigation into a potential red flag infringement, from which he emerged unscathed. Sergio Pérez had finished 10th on track, but a later penalty for an out-of-position second start dropped the Mexican to 15th, and this promoted Alonso to 10th, earning Aston Martin its first point of the season.

So, a memorable afternoon in Monaco resulted in Antonelli extending his points tally in the Drivers’ Championship to 156 points, 66 ahead of the now second-placed Hamilton after Russell’s difficult afternoon left him finishing out of the points.

Monaco marked the start of a very busy time ahead for Formula 1, with four rounds spread over just five weekends and on various differing circuits. The Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix takes place in a week’s time, and this will be followed a fortnight later by the Austrian event at beautiful Spielberg, another of my favourite F1 venues, with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone set to follow a week later. After the earlier gaps in the 2026 calendar, the drivers are absolutely thrilled about all the ontrack action ahead, and the logistics of moving everyone and everything F1-related around Europe in quick succession have understandably generated an awful lot of careful planning. Bring it on.

2026 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix
1 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 2hrs23m31.243s
2 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +6.271s
3 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +23.394s
4 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +24.261s
5 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +26.553s
6 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +29.010s
7 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +30.369s
8 Alex Albon (Williams) +33.413s
9 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +37.140s
10 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +41.899s
11 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +42.748s
12 George Russell (Mercedes) +43.353s
13 Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) +44.102s
14 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +48.964s
15 Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) +49.153s
16 Carlos Sainz (Williams) Retired
17 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) Retired
18 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) Retired
19 Oliver Bearman (Haas) Retired
20 Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) Retired
21 Lando Norris (McLaren) Retired
22 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) Retired



2026 Drivers’ Championship
1 Kimi Antonelli 156
2 Lewis Hamilton 90
3 George Russell 88

2026 Constructors’ Championship
1 Mercedes 244
2 Ferrari 165
3 McLaren 118