By Razeen Gutta
Kimi Antonelli tightened his grip on the Formula 1 world championship with a controlled victory in a crash-marred Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, guiding his Mercedes home ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
The 19-year-old claimed his fifth consecutive win of the season, the first driver from Italy to do so since Alberto Ascari in 1952.
The result moves him 66 points clear of Hamilton in the standings and makes him the youngest winner of F1’s most famous race.
“The car was a peach today,” Antonelli said post-race. “An incredible day. We had the pace to push with confidence.”
The race was, however, littered with incidents.
Max Verstappen retired in the opening lap with an engine failure, while world champion Lando Norris pulled out on lap 46 due to battery issues.
Safety cars and two red flags interrupted proceedings, including crashes for Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc at Antony Noghes.
Antonelli led from pole and never looked troubled, building a 5.4-second gap by lap 10 and eventually finishing 6.271 seconds clear of Hamilton.
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar took third ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Racing Bulls enjoyed a strong day as Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad finished fifth and sixth, while Sergio Perez scored Cadillac’s first point in 10th.
Hamilton’s second place matched Ayrton Senna’s record of eight Monaco podiums.
Pictured above: Kimi Antonelli
Source: @f1
