The Monegasque started the race from second, with Kimi Antonelli on pole. Lewis Hamilton lined up third, while the championship leader’s team-mate George Russell was back in fourth.
Antonelli had a poor start and lost his pole advantage early in the race to the Ferrari duo. However, on lap 11, Antonelli fought back to overtake Hamilton for P2. Hamilton received a 5s penalty for a false start earlier in the race.
Alex Albon received a 10s penalty for causing a collision with Ollie Bearman on lap 1. Oscar Piastri dropped to P21 after contact with Liam Lawson, damaging his front wing and forcing an early pit stop.
On lap 17, Max Verstappen overtook Russell for P4. The Dutchman pitted on lap 18 and dropped to P6. Both Hamilton and Russell pitted on lap 24, with Hamilton emerging behind Russell after serving his penalty.
On lap 29, Lando Norris made a pit stop, leaving Verstappen, Hamilton and Russell to battle for the final podium position.
On lap 34, Russell was told over team radio that he had a slow puncture on his right rear tyre. He was forced to pit, dropping out of the podium battle to P7.
Hamilton overtook Verstappen on lap 38 for P3. Nico Hulkenberg stopped on track with a mechanical issue on lap 38, triggering a safety car. Verstappen pitted for medium tyres during the VSC.
On lap 40, Lance Stroll received a 5s penalty for track limits. Antonelli reported an issue with the car on lap 41 and pitted on lap 42 from P2. After rejoining, he continued to report issues and dropped to P7, before being forced to pit again on lap 44 and rejoining in P10. He was later handed a 5s penalty for exceeding track limits.
On lap 48, Verstappen crashed while chasing down Hamilton for P2, triggering a safety car again. Russell chose to stay out while other drivers pitted, gaining P2 ahead of Hamilton.
The race finished under the safety car. Leclerc took his first win since 2024. Russell finished second — his first home-race podium. Hamilton was third. Antonelli crossed the line ninth but dropped to P16 after penalty. Piastri finished 11th after recovering from P21. Carlos Sainz was handed a one-lap time penalty for incorrectly unlapping himself under the safety car. His team-mate, Alex Albon, retired from the race.
Top 10
Charles Leclerc
George Russell
Lewis Hamilton
Lando Norris
Isack Hadjar
Liam Lawson
Arvid Lindblad
Gabriel Bortoleto
Franco Colapinto
Pierre Gasly
Antonelli leads the drivers’ championship by 25 points.
Championship standings
Kimi Antonelli — 179
George Russell — 154
Lewis Hamilton — 147
Charles Leclerc — 108
Lando Norris — 97
Oscar Piastri — 82
Next race: Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps — Sun, 19 July, 6:30 pm (IST)
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