Antonelli Wins in Italy After Gasly’s Shock Pole for Alpine

Pierre Gasly took a surprise pole position for Alpine at Monza, but it was Kimi Antonelli, seventh on the grid, who won the race, taking the fastest lap along the way. Charles Leclerc, fourth on the grid, was the day’s first retirement.


Qualifying: Gasly Surprises with Pole

Gasly took pole position for Alpine, with Russell second and Piastri third. Leclerc was fourth and Hamilton fifth for Ferrari, with Verstappen sixth. Antonelli could only manage seventh, with Colapinto eighth for Alpine, Norris ninth, and Lindblad rounding out the top ten.

Race: Antonelli Wins from Seventh, Leclerc’s Race Ends Early

Antonelli climbed from seventh on the grid to victory, taking the fastest lap of the race along the way. Russell backed up his qualifying lap with second, and Verstappen made up three places from sixth to third. Norris climbed from ninth to fourth, and Piastri dropped from third to fifth.

Hamilton dropped from fifth on the grid to sixth, and Gasly’s pole lap did not convert into a win, the Alpine slipping to seventh at the flag. Lindblad climbed from tenth to eighth, and Colapinto dropped from eighth on the grid to ninth. Tsunoda claimed the final point in tenth for Red Bull Racing.

Leclerc, fourth on the grid, was the day’s first retirement. A Safety Car was deployed at some point during the race. Audi claimed the fastest pitstop of the afternoon.


The Points Table Tells the Story

Antonelli’s win from seventh on the grid takes him to 267 points. Russell’s second place moves him to 201 in second. He and Hamilton were level on 183 points heading into the race, and Hamilton’s sixth place, worth eight points, leaves him behind on 191 in third.

Norris’s fourth place takes him to 171 in fourth, and Leclerc’s retirement leaves him static on 155 in fifth. Verstappen’s podium moves him to 127 in sixth, and Piastri’s fifth place takes him to 116 in seventh.

Further down, Gasly’s seventh place, despite starting from pole, is worth six points, taking him to 41. Lindblad’s eighth is worth four, moving him to 29, and Tsunoda picks up his first point of the season in tenth.

In the constructors’, Mercedes extend their lead to 468 points on Antonelli and Russell’s combined 43. Ferrari move to 346 despite Leclerc’s retirement, Hamilton’s sixth place the only scoring on the day. McLaren’s double from Norris and Piastri takes them to 287, and Red Bull Racing’s 16 from Verstappen and Tsunoda moves them to 204. Racing Bulls add four through Lindblad to reach 75, and Alpine’s six and two from Gasly and Colapinto takes them to 62.

Drivers’ Championship: Top 10

Pos Driver Team Points
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 267
2 George Russell Mercedes 201
3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 191
4 Lando Norris McLaren 171
5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 155
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 127
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren 116
8 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Racing 71
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 51
10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 41

Constructors’ Championship: Top 10

Pos Team Points
1 Mercedes 468
2 Ferrari 346
3 McLaren 287
4 Red Bull Racing 204
5 Racing Bulls 75
6 Alpine 62
7 Haas F1 Team 21
8 Audi 16
9 Williams 11
10 Aston Martin 3

The Wider Picture

Mercedes take a big result at Monza, Antonelli’s recovery drive from seventh and Russell’s second place extending the constructors’ lead further.

Alpine will take real encouragement from Gasly’s pole, even if seventh at the flag was a comedown from the grid slot.

Ferrari had a difficult day, Leclerc’s retirement from fourth on the grid outweighing Hamilton’s points finish.

McLaren picked up a double points finish with Norris the stronger of the two cars.

Red Bull Racing scored with Verstappen’s podium and Tsunoda’s first point of the season.


Final Verdict

Monza gave Gasly and Alpine their best qualifying result of the rounds covered here, only for the race itself to belong to Antonelli, who turned seventh on the grid into a win and the fastest lap. Leclerc’s retirement from fourth is a blow for Ferrari, and Tsunoda’s first point of the season for Red Bull Racing is a quiet positive on an afternoon that otherwise belonged to Mercedes.


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