Raceday Recap: Forza Kimi! A Marvel in Monza
The sun is shining and we’re finally back on track again for the Italian Grand Prix! The F1 circus set up tent in Monza this weekend for a thrilling competition of speed and technique - let’s debrief everything that went down!
Undeniably, the most exciting moment of Saturday’s qualifying session had to be Pierre Gasly’s first ever pole position as he added a new meaning to the term flying lap! It was an amazing result for the Alpine driver, and the pressure was on for Sunday’s race. George Russell continued his intimidation tactics by qualifying P2, with Oscar Piastri qualifying 3rd. However, the young Aussie received a 3 place grid penalty for impeding Liam Lawson in Q1, pushing him back to P6. This meant that teammates Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were promoted to P3 and P4, respectively. Max Verstappen started from the 5th grid spot when the lights went out, followed by Piastri. Current championship leader Kimi Antonelli qualified 7th but was required to start from the back of the field alongside Alex Albon and Liam Lawson, as they all equipped their cars with new power unit elements after the session. This pushed Franco Colapinto into the P7 starting slot, followed by Lando Norris in 8th, Arvid Lindblad beginning from 9th, and Gabriel Bortoleto occupying position number 10. Isack Hadjar is sadly still out because of a fractured wrist, so Liam Lawson is occupying his Red Bull spot while Yuki Tsunoda fills in for the Kiwi at VCARB.
Yuki Tsunoda fans rejoice! He’s back on the grid while Isack Hadjar is injured. Photo courtesy of RacingNews365.
The lights went out and Pierre Gasly was leading quickly, with Charles Leclerc hot on his heels - er, wheels. Lewis Hamilton was less lucky, clipping the gravel and falling to P9. On lap 2, George Russell took the lead of the race, causing Gasly and Leclerc to squabble for 2nd behind him. David Coulthard accurately described this process as “yo-yo racing” over the broadcast. At the end of lap 2, Leclerc slammed into the wall at full speed after trying to defend from Oscar Piastri, bringing out the yellow flag and then the red flag as the barrier had to be repaired. At this point, Kimi Antonelli had already made up 7 places to be in 12th, and Franco Colapinto had also worked his way into 4th before the yellow flag was declared, putting him in front of Piastri. After racing was restarted, Gasly took the outside line but was unable to take the lead back from Russell yet. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen passed Colapinto for P3. On lap 6, the young Argentinian swung into the gravel due to massive oversteer, bringing out yet another yellow flag for a track hazard and falling to P15. Verstappen overtook Gasly for 2nd, and then was able to briefly snatch the race lead into lap 12. Then, Russell and Antonelli both overtook the Dutchman on lap 16, beginning the Mercedes battle for first place. On lap 18, Antonelli had managed to take the race lead after starting from 19th, a legendary feat.
On lap 23, Russell came back into first place. A few laps later, Fernando Alonso went into the pits and never came back out due to a mechanical issue. His teammate had trouble soon after: on lap 28 another yellow flag was called because Lance Stroll stopped at turn 2 due to a hydraulic issue. Aston Martin is truly having the worst season. The virtual safety car was issued, allowing Antonelli and Verstappen the chance to change their tires, while Russell stayed out. On lap 29, the lineup was Russell in P1, Piastri in 2nd, Hamilton P3, Norris in 4th, and Gasly in P5. Cadillac is also having a rough 2026, as Checo Perez received a 5 second time penalty for failing to follow race director instructions concerning the escape road. Verstappen began picking off drivers in his pursuit of the lead, passing Gasly and Norris on the way to P4. On lap 37, Antonelli passed Hamilton for 3rd and then made it up to P2. On lap 50, Antonelli used overtake mode on the main straight, took a quick trip through the gravel, and took the lead of the race. Norris was able to make a move on his McLaren teammate one last time, claiming P4 towards the very end of the grand prix.
Kimi Antonelli stands victorious on the top step of his home race! Photo courtesy of Motorsport.com.
Kimi Antonelli became the first Italian winner of the Italian Grand Prix since 1966, with his teammate George Russell beside him on the second step. Max Verstappen settled for 3rd place, but also held the fastest lap for the majority of the race - let him cook! McLaren had a good showing with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri taking 4th and 5th. Lewis Hamilton got 6th, Pierre Gasly took P7, and Arvid Lindblad ended in 8th place. Franco Colapinto crossed the line in P9, and Yuki Tsunoda claimed the last point for VCARB in 10th place.
Overall, this race weekend was just the right balance of eventful and predictable, with Mercedes and McLaren coming out on top yet again. I can’t wait for the Spanish GP in Madrid this weekend! As always, thanks for reading, and don’t forget to follow @thewinningformulablog on Instagram!
Lights out and away we go,
Lucy xx
