Andrea Kimi Antonelli takes a 66-point F1 lead to Madrid after winning from 19th at Monza, with Mercedes first and second in the standings.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli will head to Formula 1’s new Madrid circuit with a 66-point championship lead after charging from 19th on the grid to win the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, September 6.
The Mercedes driver covered 53 laps at Monza, finishing 3.857 seconds ahead of teammate George Russell. Max Verstappen took third, 14.718 seconds behind Antonelli, with McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri fourth and fifth.
Antonelli controls the title race
Antonelli’s seventh win of 2026 lifted him to 267 points. Russell holds second with 201, followed by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton on 191 and Norris on 171.
Antonelli now leads Hamilton by 76 points and Norris by 96 ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. The Madrid round comes one week after his first home victory at Monza.
Russell reduced the damage by finishing second in Italy, but Antonelli’s charge through the field after an engine-change penalty widened the gap between the Mercedes teammates.
Ferrari leaves Monza wounded
Hamilton placed sixth after sliding into the gravel at Turn 2 on the opening lap. Charles Leclerc retired after a Lap 2 crash, having fought his teammate into the first chicane.
Hamilton described Ferrari’s home result as “a bit devastating.” He remains third in the standings, while Leclerc is fifth with 155 points.
Ferrari doesn’t plan to stop development. Team principal Frédéric Vasseur said the team’s spending remains inside its planned program.
“The strategy is that we will continue to push until the end. We have a plan. We have no issue with the cost cap, we are following the plan and will continue like this.”
Red Bull keeps Lawson beside Verstappen
Liam Lawson will race alongside Verstappen for a third straight Grand Prix, with Isack Hadjar still sidelined by the hairline wrist fracture he sustained during a boxing workout in the summer break.
Hadjar also sat out the Dutch and Italian Grands Prix.
Lawson heads to Madrid with 51 points. Verstappen has 127 following his Monza podium, while Hadjar remains on 71 despite missing three races. Yuki Tsunoda will stay with Racing Bulls.
Madrid presents a fresh challenge
The Spanish Grand Prix will debut in Madrid on Sunday, September 13. The race starts at 14:00 UK time after Friday practice sessions scheduled for 12:30 and 16:00.
Formula 3 drivers have already sampled the new layout, and footage from their run was released on Tuesday, September 8. Formula 1 teams will gather their first official practice data on Friday.
Antonelli will start that session with the championship’s biggest points haul, while Mercedes occupies the top two positions and every team prepares to learn an unfamiliar circuit before Sunday’s Madrid race.
