Antonelli stays cool to win chaotic Monaco Grand Prix

Formula One championship leader Kimi Antonelli stayed ice-cool to win a chaotic Monaco Grand Prix and extend his run of victories this season to five on Sunday.

The 19-year-old Italian built a big lead after starting from pole in his Mercedes, but that evaporated after a safety car and then a red flag to inspect a crumbling surface at the final corner where Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed out.

After a delay of about 40 minutes while repairs were carried 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 became the youngest winner of the iconic race.

Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was runner-up for the second successive Grand Prix with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar provisionally third, though he was one of several drivers under investigation for a variety of infringements.

Hamilton, who equalled the late Ayrton Senna’s eight Monaco podiums, moved above Antonelli’s team-mate George Russell into second place in the standings, 66 points behind.

Russell suffered a damaging day as a drive-through penalty meant he finished out of the points.

A year after finishing last on his F1 debut at Monaco, Antonelli showed incredible poise to shrug off the red flag drama that meant he effectively had to win the race twice.

“It’s been an incredible weekend and an incredible race,” Antonelli, who was not even born the last time an Italian won the Monaco Grand Prix (Jarno Trulli in 2004), said.

“I wasn’t super keen on restarting, 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.”

Hamilton, who had been the youngest Monaco winner when he won in 2008 aged 23, is still to top the podium for Ferrari but continued his resurgence.

Antonelli underlined his domination by building a 6.271-second winning margin in the final eight laps after the race resumed with the day’s second standing start.

Having become the youngest driver to qualify on pole at Monaco, Antonelli’s task was made easier 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 Lando Norris, who retired after 46 laps when the electrical gremlins that had dogged him in practice returned.