Monaco GP 2026: a broken track, a red flag, and Antonelli's fifth straight win
Seven retirements, a lap-68 red flag when the surface broke up, Cadillac's first-ever point — and an Indian-origin rookie scoring big. Our report from a wild Monaco.
Monaco is rarely dull, but the 2026 edition was bedlam — and through it all, Kimi Antonelli was untouchable.
Antonelli converted into a fifth consecutive victory ahead of Lewis Hamilton, with Isack Hadjar completing a provisional podium that was placed under investigation. Max Verstappen's afternoon ended before it began — stalled on the grid, out on the spot.
The flashpoint
On lap 68 of 78 the track surface broke up at the final corner. Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc both crashed there (Leclerc citing brakes), bringing out a red flag and a standing restart. A rash of pit-lane speeding penalties swept up Hamilton, Russell, Gasly, Colapinto, Piastri and Stroll; Russell's drive-through dropped him out of the points. Seven cars failed to finish.
India angle
The headline for us: Arvid Lindblad scored his first F1 points, a career-best P6, as Racing Bulls bagged a double-points finish. And there was history elsewhere — Sergio Perez scored Cadillac's first-ever championship point in P10 on the American squad's debut season.
| Pos | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| 3* | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull |
*Provisional — subject to post-race investigation.