Five Takeaways: Monaco Grand Prix
- Vyas Ponnuri
- 15 minutes ago
- 6 min read
The Monaco Grand Prix delivered everything that Formula One fans long for: drama, controversy and plenty of unexpected twists. From an early retirement for Max Verstappen to a lengthy red flag and a flurry of penalties, the race was anything but straightforward.
When the dust settled, the Italian teenager emerged victorious yet again, further extending his championship lead in good company with a seven-time champ.
Let’s just say, there is a lot to unpack. Here are DIVEBOMB’s five takeaways from the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix.
Five in a row for Antonelli
When the 2026 season started, and whispers of potential Mercedes dominance began, George Russell was initially predicted to seize the championship within the Mercedes pair. Who could have predicted his 19-year-old teammate, Kimi Antonelli, would be leading the title fight, 68 points ahead of his more experienced teammate?
Antonelli stormed to his fifth consecutive Grand Prix win on Sunday, following a stellar qualifying performance to put him in the coveted pole position.
Despite everything that Monaco threw at him, safety cars, red flags and a standing restart against seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, the teenager kept his cool all the way to the chequered flag. In a race where almost every driver faced some sort of penalty scare or technical issue, Antonelli delivered yet another trouble-free race win.
“Incredible weekend, incredible race,” said Antonelli at the conclusion of the session. “We had such incredible pace, it was all coming so natural. The car was incredible and gave me confidence to push.
“It is still a long season, and we need to keep pushing and keep raising the bar, and the goal is to keep performing like this.”
With a lead of over two Grands Prix ahead of his teammate, things are shaping up quite nicely for the young Italian. Adding to his already historic resume, Antonelli’s win in Monaco brings Italy its first race win on the circuit since 2004.
Verstappen and what could have been
One of the last things anyone expected was a first-lap retirement for the four-time champion.
Verstappen had a rapid qualifying session Saturday, awarding him a second-place start on the front row, and a solid shot at taking the race lead out of Turn 1.
Following the formation lap, chaos ensued. Well, maybe not as much chaos as... nothing. When the lights went out, all of the drivers pulled away, except for Verstappen, who remained stubbornly in place.
Despite the stall, Verstappen eventually was able to begin crawling towards the pack, but the gearbox issue forced him to retire at the end of the first lap. What had started as an optimistic weekend for Verstappen and Red Bull had all come undone by Lap 1.
“After such a nice weekend for us, you’d at least hope to be on the podium,” said Verstappen in the media pen. “We, of course, then retired basically straight away. It’s painful for everyone. There’s also no need to be super upset because I think everyone is already really disappointed about it.
“It’s just a shame for everyone. I really hoped that I could do something, or at least make it an exciting race and try to put the pressure on because I really felt good this whole weekend, and now to basically come away with zero points is probably even more painful.”
Verstappen’s teammate, Isack Hadjar, would go on to finish in third place, securing his first podium with Red Bull.
Hometown heartbreak
At the conclusion of the Grand Prix, seven drivers failed to see the flag. Among them, Charles Leclerc, the hometown hero.
Historically, Leclerc has had a fair share of rollercoaster moments in Monaco, as the Monegasque has succumbed to facing added pressure on his home circuit.
Throughout the first two practice sessions, the Ferrari pair looked especially strong, with many speculating that it would be a win for one of the two. Unfortunately, things fell apart for Leclerc in qualifying, where a trip into the barrier ended his strong chances at pole position.
After a tricky Saturday session, Leclerc was able to recover decently well in the early stages of the race, following Verstappen’s exit. What started as a promising look at the podium soon slipped through Leclerc’s fingers, however, as the safety car restart proved troublesome.
The Ferrari driver ran into an issue with his brakes, one that he later revealed had been an ongoing problem, and plunged straight into the barrier.
Clearly frustrated with the outcome, Leclerc was very open about his emotions post-race.
“I’m extremely disappointed, sad, angry – a mixture of negative emotions,” he said to the media.
“I don’t know how much I can go into the details, but… I don’t think… I mean, it’s just not acceptable. The issues I have faced with my brakes have been… it’s not that it’s difficult, it’s that in this particular moment, it’s just impossible.”
Heartbreak for Leclerc, but elation for his teammate. Hamilton crossed the line second with his second podium finish in a row.
Did someone order a penalty?
It was a busy afternoon for the stewards, handing out a large stack of penalties across the session.
A handful of drivers suffered consequences, with a majority of the committed crimes being speeding in the pit lane. Hamilton was the first to get dinged for it, but soon after, multiple drivers followed at a rate that even had commentators confused.
Alas, it was not just pit lane speeding that was penalised. Sergio Pérez was given a drive-through penalty that he ultimately converted to a tenth-place finish. Unfortunately, what would have been Cadillac’s first points finish was spoiled when the stewards reviewed post-race and gave Pérez another penalty.
Aston Martin reaped the benefits, with Fernando Alonso being promoted to tenth place, scoring the Silverstone-based team their first point of the 2026 season.
Mercedes’ Russell failed to serve his first penalty, landing him into further punishment from the stewards. After serving his drive-through penalty, he was pushed back from a sixth-place start to twelfth.
Both Alpine drivers received penalties, with Pierre Gasly’s causing him a whirlwind of emotions post-race. Gasly’s team failed to inform him of his looming penalties, so when the driver crossed third at the end of the race, he celebrated what he thought was a podium finish. After his two five-second penalties, the Frenchman was demoted to seventh place.
Hamilton also was hit with a five-second penalty for, you guessed it, speeding in the pit lane, however he luckily was able to serve that penalty during the safety car. After being briefly investigated for an alleged safety car infringement, Hamilton was let off the hook when no further investigation took place.
Norris’ bad luck streak continues
Not even winning a world championship can erase a bad race. Lando Norris, the reigning world champion, once again was forced to retire from the Grand Prix, resulting in his second DNF in a row.
Norris has been suffering from car issues all season long, retiring from multiple practice sessions and races. Losing a place to Gasly at the start of the race, then keeping close to the Alpine for points, Norris ultimately had to park his MCL40 due to technical issues.
Norris retired from the second practice session of the weekend as well, settling into eighteenth place after yet another technical problem with his car. Last race weekend in Canada, Norris also failed to find the flag.
“Look, I’m fighting for P8 and Gasly has a penalty now,” he said after his DNF. “This was my chance to be there and get a few points.
“At this point of the year, we’re not expecting a win or a podium, but we need to maximise sixth, seventh, fifth – little points along the way and they all add up. I’m working hard, the team are working hard, and we’re just not getting rewarded. We’re just being unlucky.
“Some of it’s our fault, some of it’s failures, some of it’s just being unlucky. I don’t know, we’re doing the best we can, and I’m doing the best I can, but when you just can’t finish a race, I don’t know what I should really expect.”
Looking ahead
As we head into Barcelona next weekend, the stakes continue to rise. Teams are scrambling for answers on how to stop Antonelli, who seems to be on a streak with no end in sight. Even Antonelli’s own teammate is searching for answers.
With the promise of upgrades ahead, will anything slow Antonelli down, Or at least bring drivers closer to challenging him? Hamilton is beginning to look like a threat, but how long will it be before things start to click for Russell? The answers to those questions and more await, as Barcelona rounds the corner.
Edited by Benjamin Crundwell
