Monaco GP: Pirelli Monaco Grand Prix Review


By Courtesy of Pirelli
June 8 2026

 
 Pirelli Monaco Grand Prix Review
 
Pirelli Race Review
 
Pirelli Race Review
 

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 – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR
“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”

Formula 2
Rafael Câmara started from pole position in the Monaco Feature Race but was unable to convert it into victory. In the closing stages, the Brazilian ran wide at Sainte Devote, allowing Nikola Tsolov to take the lead. The incident effectively marked the end of Câmara’s race. Behind Tsolov, Alex Dunne crossed the line in second position, with Dino Beganovic third at the finish.

The three drivers on the podium adopted the same strategy, starting on the Soft compound before switching to the Supersoft. Tsolov pitted on lap 32, Dunne on lap 33 and Beganovic on lap 28. Several drivers significantly delayed their pit stop in the hope of a late Safety Car, with five of them completing as many as 40 of the scheduled 42 laps on the Soft compound.

After the Monaco Grand Prix, Gabriele Minì leads the championship standings with 63 points. Tsolov follows just one point behind in second position, while Martinius Stenshorne sits third with 48 points.

Formula 3
On the streets of Monaco, Brando Badoer claimed his first victory in the Formula 3 Championship. The Italian started from second on the grid but immediately managed to overtake poleman Théophile Naël. From that moment on, Badoer never relinquished the lead of the race. Naël finished second, with Freddie Slater completing the podium in third position. The gap between Badoer and Naël at the finish was just over half a second. Naël applied strong pressure in the closing stages, but Badoer defended the lead with composure, securing his first win in the championship.

 
Pirell Race Review
 
Pirelli Race Review
 

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