Antonelli wins Monaco from Hamilton after dramatic ending

Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli took a dominant victory in the Monaco Grand Prix ahead of the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton after a chaotic ending that featured two safety cars and a red flag.

The 19-year-old Italian’s fifth win in a row, in combination with a dire race for Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who finished 12th and out of the points, puts him in a commanding position in the championship.

Antonelli leads Hamilton by 66 points, with Russell now down to third, two points further adrift.

Russell dropped to the back from third place because of a drive-through penalty that he had to serve when the field was compressed two laps after the restart.

Pierre Gasly finished third for Alpine, but was immediately dropped to seventh with a penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

That promoted Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar to the final podium position, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri on the occasion of the team’s 1,000th grand prix.

The madcap ending was one of several key stories, including:

Antonelli’s supreme display to strengthen his control of the championship

Russell’s latest dose of bad luck dealing a hefty blow to his title chances

A costly crash from Charles Leclerc at his home race - which he refused to accept was his fault

The chaos caused by the track breaking up and an unusually high number of penalties - six - for drivers speeding in the pit lane. 

(BBC sport)