Antonelli conquers Monaco chaos to deal Russell another blow

The gap between the two Mercedes drivers currently stands at 68 points. Lewis Hamilton finished second and is now second in the drivers' standings as well. Pierre Gasly crossed the finish line in third, but a 10-second time penalty relegated him from the podium. That now provisionally belongs to Isack Hadjar, who will be investigated after the session for a red flag infringement. Oscar Piastri would then be promoted to the podium.

Max Verstappen had a horrific start at the Monaco Grand Prix. The Dutchman’s RB22 suffered a power unit issue and limped off the line when the lights went out in Monte Carlo. Fortunately, no one hit him from behind. The four-time world champion was then forced to park his car in the pit lane at the end of Lap 1.

Meanwhile, Antonelli managed to pull away from the two Ferrari drivers, Hamilton and Leclerc, and they were able to build a gap to Hadjar and Russell after the Frenchman also began experiencing an issue with his Red Bull Racing car. Russell then undercut Hadjar in the pit lane to gain the position. However, the Briton sped in the pit lane, resulting in a five-second penalty.

Hamilton was the first of the top three to pit on Lap 29. However, the seven-time world champion also received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Leclerc then pitted on Lap 36, while Antonelli followed on Lap 37.

The drivers carrying five-second penalties then got a lucky break on Lap 61 after Lance Stroll crashed at Turn 19, which led to a Safety Car. Hamilton served his penalty, but Russell was unable to do so and also lost a position to Hadjar. That led to a drive-through penalty for him, leaving him outside of the points.

The restart did not work out for Leclerc, who made a mistake and crashed out in the last corner, causing another Safety Car immediately. "I'm not even going to take the blame! These brakes," he shouted over the team radio. On Lap 68, the race was stopped with a red flag for track inspection in Turn 19.

The race then got underway once again after a lengthy delay at 17:12 local time with a standing start. Antonelli survived the start and kept the lead, while Russell and Gasly were also able to overtake Hadjar off the line. Once the Mercedes driver served his drive-through penalty, he dropped down to P14, while the French Red Bull driver will be investigated for a red flag infringement after the chequered flag.