09/06/2026

TUESDAY | JUNE 9, 2026

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Calm amid carnage

Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli celebrates his Monaco Grand Prix victory with a jump into the Monte Carlo harbour yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

Antonelli mastered Monaco’s chaos to underline his championship credentials

MONACO GP TOP 10 STANDINGS

F ORMULA ONE champion ship leader Kimi Antonelli stayed ice-cool to win a cha otic Monaco Grand Prix and extend his run of victories this season to five yesterday. The 19-year-old Italian built a lead of more than 20 seconds after starting from pole in his Mercedes but that evaporated after first a safety car was deployed and then the race was red flagged to repair a crumbling surface at the final corner where Ferrari’s Charles L e c l e r c crashed into the barriers. After a delay of

time an Italian won the Monaco Grand Prix – Jarno Trulli in 2004. “I wasn’t super keen on re-starting but once the notification came out I just gathered my emotions and re focused again. Once I got away and was P1 into the first corner I could enjoy the last few laps.” Seven-time world champion Hamilton, who had been the young est Monaco winner when he won in 2008 aged 23, is still to top the podium since joining Ferrari in 2025 but con tinued his resurgence at the age of 41. “That’s too many wins now, buddy!” Hamilton joked with the new young prince of F1 in the cool down room. Antonelli was in a class of his own. By the end of lap one he had a three-second lead and turned the race into a procession around

pit lane meant he finished out of the points for the second race in succes sion after retiring in Canada. Russell has critisced the stewards’ decision to give him a drive-through penalty and believes a software prob lem caused the issue. Reacting to the punishment he received, he said: “Firstly, I’m not too sure why we got a penalty. “I was on the pit-limiter before the line and after the line… clearly there’s a prob lem in the software. Five seconds, not ideal, not the end of the world. “There was confusion in the pit stop. Getting a drive-through,

out near La Rascasse, the race resumed with a standing start but just as in the day’s first start, Antonelli was unfazed as he put down eight fault less laps to become the youngest win ner of the sport’s most iconic race. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was run ner-up for the second successive Grand Prix with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar provisionally thirdfor the sec ond podium of his career, although he was one of a number of drivers under investigation for a variety of infringements that littered the race. Lewis, who equalled the late Ayrton Senna’s eight Monaco podiums, moved above Antonelli’s t e amma t e George Russell

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)

the race resumed with the day’s sec ond standing start. Antonelli suffered a crisis of confi dence during the European races last season after finishing 18th in Monaco, but he is now beginning to look invincible. His task was made easier yester day as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who started alongside him on the front row, stalled on the grid and retired after a lap with a power unit issue. It was also a miserable day for reigning world champion and 2025 Monaco winner Lando Norris who retired after 46 laps when the electri cal gremlins that dogged him in prac tice returned. Local favourite Leclerc received vociferous support by crowds wedged around the 3.3km circuit but his hopes of emulating his 2024 win vanished when he hit the barriers on the final corner on the resumption after the safety car was deployed fol lowing a crash by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll after 60 laps. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was fourth with Racing Bulls duo Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad fifth and sixth. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly had finished third on the road but was immedi ately demoted to seventh after two five-second penalties for speed ing in the pit lane – one of five drivers to fall foul of that law on 7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 8. Alex Albon (Williams) 9. Esteban Ocon (Haas) 10. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. P3 down to P14.” A year after finishing last on his Monaco debut, Antonelli showed incredible

around 40 minutes w h i l e repairs

into second place in the standings, 66 points behind. Russell suf fered a damaging day as a drive through penalty for failing to observe a five-second penalty for speeding in the

the sun-bathed cir cuit, threading his silver arrow

poise to shrug off the red flag drama that meant he effectively had to win the race twice. “It’s been an incredi

w e r e carried

imperiously t h r o u g h tight and nar

row streets.

ble weekend and an incredible race,” said Antonelli, who was not even born the last

His domina tion was under lined by the fact he then built a 6.271 seconds winning margin in the final eight laps after

a day when only Antonelli kept a cool head. – Reuters/Express Newspapers

FROM LEFT: Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, race winner Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, and Red Bull’s Isaac Hadjar celebrate on the podium after the Monaco F1 Grand Prix at the Circuit de Monaco yesterday. – AFPPIC

PREVIEW GROUP H

Razif’s bold prediction

p 25 Slam curse over

p 26 & 27

p 28 & 29 PREVIEW GROUP G

p 31

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