Kimi Antonelli wins Monaco Grand Prix, sets record as youngest winner in race history

By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/kimi-antonelli-wins-monaco-grand-prix-sets-record-as-youngest-winner-in-race-history Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Kimi Antonelli wins Monaco Grand Prix, sets record as youngest winner in race history World Jun 7, 2026 4:24 PM EDT MONACO (AP) — Kimi Antonelli is writing his place in Formula 1 history at record speed. "You're catching me up," Lewis Hamilton, who has the most wins in history with 105, told Antonelli after the 19-year-old Italian beat him in a bizarre and much-delayed Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday. Antonelli replaced Hamilton at Mercedes last year, and only won his first race in March. He now has five wins in a row and a vast lead of 66 points over Hamilton. READ MORE: Formula 1 calls off April Grand Prix races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to Iran war "He's only 19, so just imagine what the future holds for him, but I'm going to do my best to try and chase him down for the rest of the year," Hamilton said. "It's a real privilege to witness it." Antonelli said he needed to find his focus again but stayed cool when the race was stopped and briefly seemed set to be abandoned before a restart. All that on a tight, twisty circuit threaded between metal barriers where any slip brings a crash. An uncertain restart Antonelli was on course for victory with 10 laps remaining when the race was red-flagged after parts of the asphalt broke away and two cars crashed in quick succession, one of them Charles Leclerc in third place. After a long delay, officials said the race would be resumed from a standing start. When that happened, Antonelli took control again to become the youngest F1 winner in Monaco, and was never in real danger of being overtaken. "Thank you so much guys, the car was a beast today," he told the Mercedes team. Hamilton was second as a raft of penalties and investigations meant other positions weren't immediately clear. Isack Hadjar was on the podium in third for Red Bull after battling engine problems but was one of those under investigation. WATCH: Trump hosts auto racing champions at the White House Antonelli's Mercedes teammate George Russell missed the points for the second race running, dropping out of the top 10 with a penalty. That followed an engine failure while battling Antonelli for the lead of last month's Canadian Grand Prix. Russell said Thursday the title was Antonelli's "to lose." Now it certainly seems that way. Max Verstappen started second for Red Bull but lost power at the start and dropped to the back before retiring the car at the end of the first lap. Like many F1 drivers, the four-time champion lives in Monaco and suggested he'd watch the rest of the race from home. Confusion continues after the finish The track damage put a decidedly un-glamorous twist on one of F1's most prestigious races as drivers waited in the pit lane, officials gazed a