Kimi Antonelli is trying to run away with the 2026 Formula 1 world championship.

The Mercedes driver won his fifth straight race of the season in what turned into a bizarre Monaco Grand Prix win on Sunday. The 78-lap race was red-flagged for roughly half an hour with nine laps to go after a newly-resurfaced part of the track in the final corner was starting to crumble.

With marbles accumulating on that part of the pavement, both Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc crashed into the outside wall. However, neither driver blamed the track for their wrecks. Stroll said it was an engine braking issue and Leclerc said his brakes malfunctioned.

Leclerc’s crash happened right before a safety car restart following Stroll’s wreck. He was on fresh soft tires behind Antonelli and teammate Lewis Hamilton and looked primed for a podium finish. They were the only three drivers on the lead lap at the time of Stroll’s crash.

The race was halted after Leclerc’s crash as the track was cleaned and inspected. Hamilton’s best chance of passing Antonelli came on the ensuing standing start, but Antonelli got a great jump and sprinted away from Hamilton over the final handful of laps.

Antonelli officially led all 78 laps and had a massive gap to the two Ferraris at the time of Stroll’s crash. Before that crash, it was an incredibly straightforward race; Antonelli faced no pressure from anyone behind.

Antonelli leads the championship by 62 points

Antonelli now has a monstrous lead in the points standings. He entered the sixth race of the season 43 points ahead of teammate George Russell. But Russell started the race in sixth and received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane when he made his lone green-flag pit stop of the day.

But Mercedes failed to serve Russell’s penalty when he pitted under the safety car. That led to a drive-through penalty after the red flag and also led to a comical restart. As Antonelli and Hamilton sprinted away from the field, Russell drove as slowly as possible to hold the field up behind him. Antonelli gapped his teammate by six seconds on the restart lap before Russell was forced to serve his penalty.

The strategy didn’t work. Russell emerged from the pits in 14th and out of the points. With Antonelli getting 25 points for the win, he’s now 68 points ahead of his teammate and 62 points ahead of Hamilton in second.

That’s more than two full races ahead of either driver after Russell’s mechanical failure in Canada two weeks ago. The title is very, very clearly Antonelli’s to lose.

Who finished third?

We won’t know for a bit who finished in the final podium place. Pierre Gasly crossed the line in third but had a five-second penalty for speeding in the pits. Isack Hadjar was promoted to third and celebrated the finish, however he’s under investigation for an infraction under the red flag.

Provisionally, Oscar Piastri was fourth and Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad were fifth and sixth ahead of Gasly in seventh.

You’ll notice that Max Verstappen’s name hasn’t come up yet. Verstappen officially started the race in second alongside Antonelli on the first row, but started may be a generous word to use. Verstappen said he was having issues on the formation lap and his car stalled at the start. The 21 other cars on the grid passed him before Verstappen finally got going with a wounded engine and quickly parked the car in the pit lane.

2025 F1 champion Lando Norris was also forced to retire from the race with an engine issue. The crashes, reliability issues and myriad penalties from the stewards ultimately led to an unofficial 10th-place finish for Sergio Perez and the first points for a Cadillac driver in F1.

Unofficial Monaco Grand Prix results

1. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

2. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

3. Isack Hadjar, Red Bull

4. Oscar Piastri, McLaren

5. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

6. Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

7. Pierre Gasly, Alpine

8. Alexander Albon, Williams

9. Esteban Ocon, Haas

10. Sergio Perez, Cadillac

11. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

12. Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi

13. George Russell, Mercedes

14. Nico Hulkenberg, Audi

15. Franco Colapinto, Alpine

Not classified: Carlos Sainz, Williams; Charles Leclerc, Ferrari; Lance Stroll, Aston Martin; Lando Norris, McLaren; Ollie Bearman, Haas; Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac; Max Verstappen, Red Bull

Kimi Antonelli is trying to run away with the 2026 Formula 1 world championship.

The Mercedes driver won his fifth straight race of the season in what turned into a bizarre Monaco Grand Prix win on Sunday. The 78-lap race was red-flagged for roughly half an hour with nine laps to go after a newly-resurfaced part of the track in the final corner was starting to crumble.

With marbles accumulating on that part of the pavement, both Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc crashed into the outside wall. However, neither driver blamed the track for their wrecks. Stroll said it was an engine braking issue and Leclerc said his brakes malfunctioned.

Leclerc’s crash happened right before a safety car restart following Stroll’s wreck. He was on fresh soft tires behind Antonelli and teammate Lewis Hamilton and looked primed for a podium finish. They were the only three drivers on the lead lap at the time of Stroll’s crash.

The race was halted after Leclerc’s crash as the track was cleaned and inspected. Hamilton’s best chance of passing Antonelli came on the ensuing standing start, but Antonelli got a great jump and sprinted away from Hamilton over the final handful of laps.

Antonelli officially led all 78 laps and had a massive gap to the two Ferraris at the time of Stroll’s crash. Before that crash, it was an incredibly straightforward race; Antonelli faced no pressure from anyone behind.

Antonelli leads the championship by 62 points

Antonelli now has a monstrous lead in the points standings. He entered the sixth race of the season 43 points ahead of teammate George Russell. But Russell started the race in sixth and received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane when he made his lone green-flag pit stop of the day.

But Mercedes failed to serve Russell’s penalty when he pitted under the safety car. That led to a drive-through penalty after the red flag and also led to a comical restart. As Antonelli and Hamilton sprinted away from the field, Russell drove as slowly as possible to hold the field up behind him. Antonelli gapped his teammate by six seconds on the restart lap before Russell was forced to serve his penalty.

The strategy didn’t work. Russell emerged from the pits in 14th and out of the points. With Antonelli getting 25 points for the win, he’s now 68 points ahead of his teammate and 62 points ahead of Hamilton in second.

That’s more than two full races ahead of either driver after Russell’s mechanical failure in Canada two weeks ago. The title is very, very clearly Antonelli’s to lose.

Who finished third?

We won’t know for a bit who finished in the final podium place. Pierre Gasly crossed the line in third but had a five-second penalty for speeding in the pits. Isack Hadjar was promoted to third and celebrated the finish, however he’s under investigation for an infraction under the red flag.

Provisionally, Oscar Piastri was fourth and Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad were fifth and sixth ahead of Gasly in seventh.

You’ll notice that Max Verstappen’s name hasn’t come up yet. Verstappen officially started the race in second alongside Antonelli on the first row, but started may be a generous word to use. Verstappen said he was having issues on the formation lap and his car stalled at the start. The 21 other cars on the grid passed him before Verstappen finally got going with a wounded engine and quickly parked the car in the pit lane.

2025 F1 champion Lando Norris was also forced to retire from the race with an engine issue. The crashes, reliability issues and myriad penalties from the stewards ultimately led to an unofficial 10th-place finish for Sergio Perez and the first points for a Cadillac driver in F1.

Unofficial Monaco Grand Prix results

1. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

2. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

3. Isack Hadjar, Red Bull

4. Oscar Piastri, McLaren

5. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

6. Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

7. Pierre Gasly, Alpine

8. Alexander Albon, Williams

9. Esteban Ocon, Haas

10. Sergio Perez, Cadillac

11. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

12. Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi

13. George Russell, Mercedes

14. Nico Hulkenberg, Audi

15. Franco Colapinto, Alpine

Not classified: Carlos Sainz, Williams; Charles Leclerc, Ferrari; Lance Stroll, Aston Martin; Lando Norris, McLaren; Ollie Bearman, Haas; Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac; Max Verstappen, Red Bull