A dominant drive from Kimi Antonelli and a chaotic end to the Monaco Grand Prix, here are our rankings from the weekend in Monte Carlo.

It was a crushing performance from the young championship leader who was never challenged despite a late Safety Car and red flag to contend with.

Monaco Grand Prix 2026 driver ratings

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Kimi Antonelli – 10

It’s difficult to find the plaudits necessary to describe Kimi Antonelli’s performance in Monaco. More than his performance in the race, he was near perfect across the weekend, a significant difference to his debut at the event last year. In the race, he was millimetre perfect, lightning fast, and impervious to pressure. His composure at the late restart was telling. Kimi Antonelli is a world champion in waiting, and probably this year.

Lewis Hamilton – 9

Would the real Lewis Hamilton please stand up? All weekend there were signs that Hamilton was a threat. Ferrari was expected to perform in Monaco and Hamilton made the most of it, having the measure of Charles Leclerc for much of the weekend. The pair ran close together in the race, and brake failure or victim of a crumbling track in the race, it was Leclerc who crashed out. Hamilton was serene, demonstrating that, while form is temporary, class is permanent.

Isack Hadjar – 9

An inauspicious start to the weekend with a clumsy practice crash left Isack Hadjar battling for confidence. Only you’d never know it in the race as he put in a measured and composed race despite incredible pressure throughout. That came not only from those behind, but ailments in his Red Bull. A post-race investigation – ongoing as this article was written – does nothing to dilute the quality of his performance.

Oscar Piastri – 7

McLaren quite simply didn’t have the pace across the weekend, so to finish fourth should be considered a very positive result. Yes, there was a healthy helping of luck in there as others struck misfortune, but such is the case in Monaco. The Australian did however lose points for being caught speeding in the pit lane, even after being warned that it was a risk after others had been pinged. On balance, a good weekend for Piastri, but not a great one.

Liam Lawson – 10

Few would have predicted a Racing Bulls to be so high in the classification. While the car has proven competitive, in a normal circumstances the best Lawson could hope for is a top 10 finish. To be fifth is therefore an exceptional result, especially given the state of his car not long before the race start. Good car pace meant he was well positioned in the points come the red flag. There’s nothing more Lawson could have done.

Arvid Lindblad – 10

If Liam Lawson scored a 10, Arvid Lindblad must have as well give he recovered from 15th on the grid to sixth; a remarkable performance. Lindblad’s party piece was a late stop, which meant he gained strong track position during the red flag. It was a strategy that paid off handsomely for the youngster, who was undaunted by F1’s most fearsome circuit. An exceptional performance on debut.

Pierre Gasly – 7

It could have been so much better were it not for a penalty for speeding in pit lane – though he’s adamant he wasn’t speeding. Nonetheless, officially, Pierre Gasly finished seventh. But subtract the 10 seconds that were applied to his time post race and he’d have been on the podium. Having started ninth on the grid, the Alpine ace made early ground as he passed Lando Norris and remained in contention throughout.

Alex Albon – 7

Points for Williams despite a deployment issue that caused straightline performance issues for Alex Albon. He benefitted from a bold team strategy and combined well with Carlos Sainz to execute. While it didn’t ultimately pay dividends for the Spaniard, eighth for Albon is a strong return and worth of a second 7 out of 10.

Esteban Ocon – 6

The trouble with qualifying down the order is it makes the job on Sunday more difficult, especially on Sunday. Esteban Ocon was only 17th fastest in qualifying making his recovery to ninth noteworthy, though given six cars retired, and four of them were ahead of him, it also flatters to deceive. A near miss at the final restart, Ocon benefitted from the clash between Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz.

Sergio Perez – 9

Points for Cadillac, just six races into its time in F1, would have been an extraordinary result. Only it wasn’t to be, a post-race penalty dropped Perez down the order. And while we can debate the merit of it given the penalties and retirements that occurred, the simple fact of the matter is that Sergio Perez was there when it mattered. He so easily could have been watching on from the garage after the team considered retiring him at one point as he battled braking, engine, and vibration issues. Aggressive at the start, his result is a sublime reward for a fledgling young team.

Fernando Alonso – 5

A surprise points-paying finish for Fernando Alonso came on a weekend when Aston Martin appeared to be struggling. Neither Alonso nor Lance Stroll had much in the way of pace, but being there at the flag, and a raft of penalties, paid dividends.

Gabriel Bortoleto – 5

A pit lane start after his car switched off exiting the pits to head to the grid, the Monaco GP was always going to be an uphill battle for Gabriel Bortoleto. From there, and with overtaking all but impossible in Monaco, there wasn’t much he could do. Bortoleto claims there was pace in the car, but it’s a claim that carries no weight given he qualified down the order and was never in a position to demonstrate.

George Russell – 3

For a driver looking to win this year’s drivers’ championship, it was a sub-par performance in Monaco. Clearly there was pace in the car, so to qualify only sixth simply wasn’t good enough, especially on a circuit where overtaking is nigh-on impossible. As a result, his race was so compromised he found himself lapped by teammate Kimi Antonelli. To then collect two penalties during the race isn’t good enough, though having that transformed into a drive-through was not his mistake. Still, the championship is now looking like a very distant dream.

Nico Hulkenberg – 5

A messy conclusion to the race saw Nico Hulkenberg tag Carlos Sainz at the hairpin following the red flag restart. The Audi driver explained he moved to the inside to avoid Esteban Ocon, and had full steering lock on as he contacted Sainz’s Williams. With nothing more he could do, Hulkenberg was left frustrated by the penalty, leaving him 14th and out of the points.

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Franco Colapinto – 5

Understeer and track position were the key storylines of Franco Colapinto’s race. Caught up in the games played by Williams he was lapped twice, had a tussle with Fernando Alonso, and damaged his front wing in contact with Carlos Sainz.

Carlos Sainz – 6

Points were on offer in Monaco, and Williams looked to have executed a strategy to get both its cars into the top 10. But then, in the chaos of the red flag restart, it was game over as Carlos Sainz found himself tagged twice; his race over on the spot.

Charles Leclerc – 4

Charles Leclerc may have been angry with the team after crashing out of his home grand prix, but many of his weekend woes were of his own creation. He was out-performed by Lewis Hamilton in qualifying which left him second on the road in the race, which had a strategic impact on him. His anger following his retirement was clear, blaming the team and the brakes in his car for an error that looked a lot like a deteriorating track escorting him to the scene of the accident. It was a disappointing end to what had been a broadly disappointing weekend given the promise shown by both Ferrari drivers on Friday.

Lance Stroll – 5

Lance Stroll pointed to a problem with the engine braking in his car, not the deteriorating track, as the reason he crashed out. He also cited the issue as the reason he was penalised for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

Lando Norris – 5

Out muscled by Oscar Piastri at the start, Lando Norris then battled a power unit issue through the first half of the race. Used as a strategic pawn by the team while it could, Norris’ car eventually cried enough and had to be retired. Stuck behind Pierre Gasly from the start, the world champion’s potential impact on the race was quickly blunted.

Oliver Bearman – 5

Contact at the hairpin on the opening lap preceded the Monaco Grand Prix unravelling for Oliver Bearman. Front wing damage and an early stop left him out of sequence, he then found himself stuck in traffic and dealing with brake issues. A retirement for the race, it was a frustrating conclusion given Bearman felt his car had the measure of the Racing Bulls, which finished fifth and sixth.

Valtteri Bottas – NA

An early retirement with brake issues, it would be unfair to give Valtteri Bottas a rating as he had no opportunity to influence the race. And it’s a shame given Sergio Perez managed to get a point – at least until a post-race penalty dropped him back down the order.

Max Verstappen – NA

Over even before it had begun, a power unit issue curtailed Max Verstappen’s race at the very start. He was lucky not to be collected as he limped away from the front row in what had otherwise been a promising weekend for Red Bull as Verstappen challenged Kimi Antonelli for pole.
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Monaco Grand Prix driver ratings: Antonelli masterclass, Russell in turmoil