It was a Sunday of mixed fortunes at the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix as the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team experienced the two halves of racing on the streets of the Principality.
After trying to mitigate the issues experienced with the power unit on the Number 4 car through adjustments on the steering wheel, the fault proved to be terminal, and the team were frustratingly forced to retire Lando Norris on Lap 45. Despite this disappointing experience, overall, the result of this will not have big implications on our power unit allocation, due to the Monaco Grand Prix being the last race scheduled for this unit's cycle.
Despite the low stage seen midway through the race, positives were taken away from Monte Carlo as McLaren Mastercard celebrated the team's 1000th Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri delivered a clean and composed drive to maximise the MCL40's package this afternoon and secure an important P4 finish, moving up three places to secure a good haul of points for the team.
The focus will now turn to Spain, as the final race of the opening European double-header in the 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship takes place at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. In the days between the two races, McLaren Mastercard will review the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, focusing on development to build competitiveness and reliability to keep pushing forward, and to close the gap to the competitors ahead.
Andrea Stella: "Today was, unfortunately, another race of two halves for the team. Frustratingly, Lando's race ended in retirement on Lap 45. We identified an anomaly with the power unit that had not presented itself prior to the race. We attempted to manage it through mitigation steps and setting adjustments, which allowed us to keep the car out for a few more laps, but it ultimately proved to be a terminal issue.
"As we navigate this new generation of power units, there is naturally a learning curve. Our integration and collaboration with Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains is excellent, and we will work methodically together to resolve these emerging technical challenges. The positive takeaway is that this was likely the final scheduled race for this specific power unit, so we do not anticipate any major implications for Lando's season allocation moving forward.
"On the other side of the garage, Oscar drove an exceptionally precise and controlled race. He kept it clean, made almost no mistakes, and executed our plan perfectly. I also want to commend our strategy team for a brilliant call to pit under the Safety Car, which effectively cleared his penalty.
"Despite the positive operational and strategic decisions, we have to be honest with ourselves regarding our underlying pace. Today, Ferrari and Mercedes were operating in a completely different dimension. It is clear that McLaren has a significant amount of work to do back at the factory to make the car fundamentally faster and more reliable. We will review the weekend, focus on our development, and keep pushing forward.
"Luckily, we now head straight back to track in Barcelona next weekend. After Canada, it has been clear that our current package does not lend itself to circuits with the characteristics present there and in Monaco. As we head to Spain, we hope to find a circuit which better lends itself to the strengths of the MCL40, but remain realistic about the strength of the competition. The Spanish GP is another opportunity, and one we look forward to tackling head on."
Kimi Antonelli became the youngest Monaco Grand Prix winner in history as he took victory on the streets of the principality on Sunday afternoon. George came home out of the points in P12 after having to serve a drive-through penalty in the closing laps with the field bunched up following a red flag.
Both drivers started on the Medium compound and were running a conventional one-stop, switching to the Hard tyre. Kimi had the race under control at the front whilst George pulled off the undercut on the Red Bull of Isack Hadjar to take net P4 at his first stop. George picked up a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pitlane but this was en route to being irrelevant as he had a comfortable gap and the race headed to a calm conclusion. That came to an end when Lance Stroll hit the barrier at the final corner and the Safety Car was deployed. After missing the opportunity to pit first time around, both cars stopped at the next opportunity but the team failed to serve George's penalty correctly; that led to a stop-go penalty. After Charles Leclerc also crashed on the restart, the red flag flew and George would be punished severely when taking his penalty once the race resumed.
Kimi, now on used Soft tyres, managed the standing start well and calmly brought his car home to take victory. George meanwhile served his penalty and emerged in P14, gaining a few positions due to time penalties to be classified P12 ultimately.
Kimi, at 19 years, 9 months, and 13 days old, becomes the youngest Monaco GP winner in history. He also takes the team's first victory in Monte Carlo since 2019 where Lewis Hamilton claimed an emotional victory following the recent passing of Niki Lauda. Toto Wolff, Team Principal, CEO, and Co-Owner, represented the team on the podium.
Toto Wolff: Kimi delivered a very controlled race from start to finish today. It was a clean start, strong pace, and above all, very mature driving. It's exactly what you want to see, and he was a well-deserving winner. Congratulations to him and the team.
On George's side, he had done a good job to get back into the battle for the podium but was unfortunate to receive a pitlane speeding penalty. That undid his race unfortunately and the subsequent drive-through penalty for not serving the penalty correctly ended with him out of the points. He has not felt fully confident in the car this weekend and that is on us as a team. We win and lose together, and this is something we will learn from and help him recover from.
In terms of the bigger picture, we're not talking about the championship at this stage. There are still many races to go, and while it's been a positive start overall, we'll take it step-by- step and see where we stand as the season develops.
Andrew Shovlin: Congratulations to Kimi and the team. Winning in Monaco is always a special feeling and one that never comes easy. He had strong pace throughout and allowed us to control an unpredictable and difficult race.
George had an unfortunate weekend where few things went his way. He had done a good job to get into a position where he would have been fighting for a podium, however his race unravelled after receiving a penalty for speeding in the pitlane. The timing of the Safety Car posed a challenge to the team to co-ordinate the double stack with little time to react. Having failed to correctly serve the penalty at his second stop, George was handed a drive-through penalty. After the red flag had brought the field together, it turned what would have been a couple of positions dropped into finishing outside of the points. We will analyse our communication and processes to become more resilient to similar situations in future.
Whilst we leave here with mixed feelings, we can be content with the work done to produce a car that is capable of winning at a unique circuit like this where we have struggled in recent years. We now move on to Barcelona and a very different track; we will be doing everything we can to carry on this run of form.
Laurent Mekies - CEO and Team Principal: "Mixed emotions today, as Isack and the Team did a great job to get him to the podium, overcoming some technical issues on the car, but on the other side of the garage, we lost Max's car straightaway with an engine issue. It was hard to take as he had incredible pace all weekend. It's frustrating when you miss out on a big points score, but that's part of the game, and we can only apology to him. For Isack it was a very intense battle in the car considering the number of issues he had to deal with. It was also an intense battle for the team in the garage as they worked to keep his car alive to the finish. In that context, making it to the podium is a very strong result. The most important lesson we take away from Monaco is that the underlying performance of the car keeps improving."
The Monaco Grand Prix delivered a bittersweet result for Scuderia Ferrari HP. On the one hand, Lewis Hamilton took his third podium finish of the season and his second in a row after Canada, finishing second in a really tense race. On the other hand, Charles Leclerc had to retire just a few laps from the finish, a podium finish in his home race slipping through his fingers. This was the Scuderia's 841st Formula 1 podium and its fifth in the opening six races of the season, a clear sign of the progress made by the team in recent weeks. The result also consolidates Ferrari's second place in the Constructors' Championship, while Lewis holds the same position in the Drivers' standings.
On the twisty streets of the Principality, the two Ferraris started from the second row on Medium tyres. At the start, Max Verstappen did not get off the line, allowing Kimi Antonelli to keep the lead ahead of Lewis and Charles. The opening phase of the race unfolded without major incidents. On lap 30, Hamilton pitted for Hard tyres and rejoined in third place. Six laps later it was Leclerc's turn to do the same, allowing Lewis to retake second place, although he still had a five-second penalty hanging over him for speeding in the pit lane. With 25 laps remaining, Charles began to close the gap to Lewis and eventually moved into a virtual second place. The turning point came on lap 61 when an accident involving Lance Stroll brought out the Safety Car. Both Ferraris took advantage of the neutralisation to fit Soft tyres, while Hamilton served his penalty and kept second position. At that point, Charles' weekend came to the cruellest possible end. As the field prepared for the restart, the Monegasque driver crashed his SF-26 into the barriers at the final corner, and the race was red flagged. The Grand Prix resumed with a standing start and an eight-lap sprint to the finish, during which Hamilton held onto second place all the way to the chequered flag.
Fred Vasseur: We have to stay positive because, overall, this has been another strong weekend for us. Lewis secured his second consecutive podium and I think he achieved the maximum that was available with our package today. Over the last few races we have seen him growing in confidence and feeling more comfortable in the car, which is encouraging and reflects the progress we are making as a team.
For Charles, it was obviously a very frustrating outcome. We experienced brake issues throughout the weekend and something was clearly not working as it should. We will analyse the situation carefully, understand exactly what happened and make sure we address it before Barcelona. Charles was in a strong position and it's disappointing to lose those points, especially in his home race.
We need to keep our focus on ourselves, continue working hard and maximise every opportunity. The mood within the team is positive, the direction is the right one and we have another opportunity in just a few days' time to keep moving forward.
James Vowles, Team Principal: "It's great to score points in Monaco in difficult circumstances. Well done to Alex for getting through what was a tough race, suffering a number of issues with deployment. It was also great work from the team to execute a strong strategy to allow the drivers to be fighting into the points, but it's disappointing for Carlos as his pace was exceptional, being right where he needed to be to bring more points to the table. Bigger picture, we've made progress from Japan across Miami, Montreal, and now here, and we're now able to knock on the door of points most weekends. We need to make further steps to move ahead of Alpine and VCARB but I'm confident we have what it takes in the pipeline to do so. Barcelona next, we need to keep the momentum and continue stepping forward."
Alan Permane: "I'm extremely happy for everyone involved in this wonderful team of ours. Firstly, the drivers didn't put a foot wrong in the race, Arvid played the team game for us and Liam executed everything perfectly. Double points and two career-best results is something they can be proud of. We had some issues with the cars with only half an hour to go and the mechanics performed fantastically getting the cars back together again in time. The engineers did an awesome job getting the car in the right window and Red Bull Ford Powertrains were incredible; we didn't have to speak about the power unit this weekend and that's a compliment to them, it just worked as and when needed it to and we were able to get just get on with the job. Finally, all of the people back at our bases in Milton Keynes and Faenza have delivered such an excellent car - without that we don't have anything, it all starts from there. Everyone in the whole organisation did a stellar job today and we leave Monaco with a result that everyone in the team has earned."
Mike Krack: "It proved to be a typical race of attrition in Monaco, which helped us progress to our best result of the year with Fernando in P10 - our first point scored with Honda. It was not an easy weekend, and the car has been difficult to drive, but we knew there could be opportunities, and we were there when it mattered at the end. The retirement of Lance is something we are investigating. He has been suffering with problems in the deceleration phase of corners, which seems to have contributed to the crash at Turn 19. The track breaking up may have played a part too."
TGR Haas F1 Team finished with Esteban Ocon ninth, while Ollie Bearman retired at the Monaco Grand Prix - held Sunday at the Circuit de Monaco.
Ocon started from 17th position on Pirelli P Zero Yellow medium tires, gaining two places due to Gabriel Bortoleto's pit lane start and Max Verstappen's stall off the line. Ocon pitted on lap 9, taking on White hard tires, and returned to the action in the thick of the midfield group. Ocon held 15th but moved up the order amid problems for rivals to hold 11th position when the race was suspended due to the track breaking up. Ocon took the standing restart from 11th place on Red soft tires and maintained his position, slotting into the points when George Russell served a penalty, and was promoted to ninth when Nico Hulkenberg was penalized.
Bearman took the start from 19th position on medium tires but sustained front wing damage on the opening lap and pitted for repairs, during which stop his VF-26 was fitted with hard tires. Bearman re-joined the action in 21st and last position, and the dropped time meant he got stuck in a cycle of obeying blue flags to slow for lead cars. Bearman came into the pits on lap 30 to retire from the grand prix.
TGR Haas F1 Team holds seventh position in the Constructors' Championship on 21 points.
Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal: "It's been a really tough weekend, with some really bad luck, but this proves that you should never give up until the very end. Esteban and Ollie touching each other on lap 1, causing Ollie's front wing damage, it wasn't an ideal start. Ollie couldn't really do anything from there on, and he was struggling with a brake issue, so we had to retire him. With Esteban, we kept chipping away, and with what was happening in front with Williams, there wasn't a whole lot we could do, but we focused on only what we could control. We executed well, and we've come out of it with P9 - what this team deserves. I think we could've done a lot more with the speed we had, but I'm really happy we got something to give back to this team."
Audi Revolut F1 Team suffered heartbreak at the Monaco Grand Prix, as a good display of pace by Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto went unrewarded. Following a race of attrition on the streets of Monte-Carlo, with Safety Cars, a red flag and a late-race restart, the team believed to have scored points, owing to Nico's ninth place at the flag - only for a penalty to demote the German to 14th place. Team-mate, Gabriel Bortoleto, had an eventful afternoon as his car failed to launch during the pre-race procedures: a quick intervention by the crew allowed him to rejoin with a pit-lane start, and he fought his way patiently to climb to P12 at the flag.
Despite the good pace shown both earlier in the weekend and during the race, the team leaves the Principality with no points to show for its efforts. The performance displayed on the circuit, however, gives confidence for a competitive showing in the next events, starting next week in Barcelona.
Allan McNish, Racing Director: "We know that, in Monaco, qualifying and grid position largely dictate the outcome of the race, and unfortunately we started today out of position relative to the pace we had in the car.
"Gabriel's car stopped on the way to the grid, which meant he had to start from the pit lane. From there, it became a race of attrition, and we were looking for any opportunities that might come our way, knowing how difficult overtaking is around Monaco. He kept pushing throughout and gained valuable experience on a challenging weekend.
"On Nico's side, we showed good pace and made an early switch to the hard tyre; in clean air, he showed very strong pace but once he caught up with the back of the midfield pack there was little opportunity to make progress. The red flag reshuffled the race, and, after the restart, he was involved in an incident at the hairpin that resulted in a 10-second penalty. It was a harsh outcome given the circumstances, particularly as it ultimately cost him a points finish after a determined drive.
"The result doesn't reflect the pace we showed this weekend, but there are positives to take forward as we focus on the next race."
Flavio Briatore: "After a great start from Pierre that put us in seventh place, the race was looking promising. In spite of the great restart after the red flag and Pierre finishing third on the road, we saw the result being taken away by two penalties, which we strongly disagree with. These penalties were inflicted to at least four teams on the grid, which makes it a strong case for review. As such, we have requested a Right of Review with the FIA. We maintain fifth position in the Constructors' Championship, and we are determined to keep the teams' positive momentum in Barcelona and at the upcoming races with more performance and updates being brought to the car."
The Cadillac Formula 1® Team achieved its strongest result to date in today's Monaco Grand Prix, one of the most famous races on F1's calendar.
Checo Perez finished 10th on the road - the final points' scoring position - but was awarded a post-race penalty for starting out of position following a red flag that dropped him down the order. Regardless of the official classification, the result is remarkable in only the American squad's sixth race.
Checo was the sole finisher for the team as Valtteri Bottas retired on lap 15 following a brake issue.
Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal: "To finish 10th on the road is an incredible testament to the resolve of the team to keep fighting until the end. After the red flag restart, Checo drove fantastically well to make up several positions on the road - it was a real shame that the penalty dropped us back as he fought like he was going for the win. Valtteri had to retire the car, but his luck will change and it will come to him. I want to thank absolutely everyone in the team for all of their hard work. We've got some real momentum behind us now and we can't wait to get back on track."
The Monaco Grand Prix was won by Kimi Antonelli. On the streets of the Principality, the Mercedes driver never relinquished the lead of the race. Antonelli started from pole position and led the race from the first to the last lap.
Max Verstappen, who lined up second on the grid, had a difficult start and was forced to stop his car in the pits at the end of the opening lap due to mechanical problems, bringing his race to an early end. Behind Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton finished second, with Isack Hadjar taking third place.
Almost all drivers started the race on the Medium compound. Lewis Hamilton was the first of the top three finishers to pit, on lap 28, while Antonelli made his stop on lap 37. Both switched from Medium to Hard tyres. Taking advantage of a Safety Car on lap 50, both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc made an additional stop.
After the neutralisation period, however, it was Leclerc who triggered another Safety Car intervention. The subsequent red flag allowed race leader Antonelli to fit a set of Soft tyres. The rest of the field also opted to switch to the same compound during the race suspension.
At the standing restart following the red flag, Antonelli got away perfectly once again, securing the victory. Hamilton also made an excellent start, finishing second, with Hadjar third behind them.
The longest stint on the C3 was completed by Esteban Ocon, who ran for 50 laps, while Arvid Lindblad covered 65 laps on the C4, the highest number of laps on that compound. The longest run on the C5 was recorded by Fernando Alonso, with 55 laps.
In the championship battle, this victory saw Antonelli, now on 156 points, extend his advantage over second-placed Lewis Hamilton. The Italian leads with a margin of 66 points, while George Russell follows in third position with 88 points.
Dario Marrafuschi: "Today the drivers did not hold back on track and tried to extract the maximum from their cars. This is reflected in the levels of tyre degradation observed, which were higher than in previous days and, in some cases, led to performance drop-offs. The decision not to preserve the tyres probably pushed teams towards more conservative strategic choices. Almost everyone opted to start on the Medium, before choosing the Hard for the second stint. However, some long runs on the Soft, such as those completed by Aston Martin, clearly showed that the red tyre could be a valid alternative. The Soft was also the option chosen by everyone for the restart. The driver who made the best use of all three compounds was the winner himself, Kimi Antonelli, who set the fastest times of the Grand Prix on Hard, Medium and Soft, dominating the race as well. Overall, the drivers managed to bring the tyres up to temperature more easily, perhaps thanks to the continuous laps around the circuit. The limiting axle was obviously the rear, due to the numerous traction phases during the race, and it was also the most prone to wear. It was an interesting event, especially in the second half, which was full of twists and featured a new grid restart."
