PITWALL
F1 RACE STRATEGY SIMULATOR ยท 2026
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โ† 2026 Season Results
ROUND
13

Italian Grand Prix

2026-09-06ยท53 laps

Kimi Antonelli produced one of the great recovery drives in modern F1 to win his home Italian Grand Prix from 19th on the grid, becoming the first Italian to win at Monza since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966. Handed a 30-place grid penalty for a pre-weekend engine change, Antonelli tore through the field after an early red flag for Charles Leclerc's heavy crash at the Parabolica, then used a well-timed pit stop under a Virtual Safety Car to switch onto fresh mediums while championship rival and teammate George Russell stayed out on ageing hards. Antonelli hunted Russell down and passed him on Lap 50 of 53 to win by 3.857 seconds and stretch his drivers' championship lead to 66 points. Max Verstappen completed the podium for Red Bull, edging out a squabbling McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, while a torrid home weekend for Ferrari saw Leclerc retire on Lap 2 and Lewis Hamilton salvage only sixth. Yuki Tsunoda, standing in for the temporarily promoted Liam Lawson, scored his first point since Qatar the previous November in 10th, surviving a stewards' investigation into an extra formation lap he caused.

Race Winner
Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
Fastest Lap
1:23.504
Kimi Antonelli
Conditions
โ˜€ Dry

Key Moments

๐ŸšฉLAP 2Charles Leclerc crashes heavily into the barriers at the Parabolica after contact with teammate Lewis Hamilton at the first chicane sent Hamilton into the gravel โ€” red flag, standing restart. Leclerc completes only 1 lap.
๐ŸŽLAP 3Standing restart: pole-sitter Pierre Gasly leads from Russell and Franco Colapinto, with Antonelli already climbing from 19th just laps in.
๐ŸŽLAP 12Max Verstappen rises to the lead as the two Mercedes drop in behind him.
๐ŸŸกLAP 33A Virtual Safety Car period gives Antonelli the chance to pit for fresh mediums while race leader Russell stays out on his ageing hards โ€” the choice that decides the race.
๐ŸŽLAP 50On fresher tyres, Antonelli hunts down and passes Russell for the lead, sealing a sensational home win by 3.857 seconds.
๐ŸŽLAP 53Yuki Tsunoda, filling in for the temporarily promoted Liam Lawson, scores his first point since Qatar 2025 in 10th, later cleared by stewards over an extra formation lap he caused.

Strategy Breakdown

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POSDriverStrategyTimeGap
1
Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
?โ†’ML33
1:51:15.281+0.000โ€”
2
George Russell
Mercedes
?โ†’H
1:51:19.138+3.857โ€”
3
Max Verstappen
Red Bull Racing
?โ†’?
1:51:29.999+14.718โ€”
4
Lando Norris
McLaren
?โ†’?
1:51:34.337+19.056โ€”
5
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
?โ†’?
1:51:34.534+19.253โ€”
6
Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari
?โ†’?
1:51:39.936+24.655โ€”
7
Pierre Gasly
Alpine
?โ†’?
1:51:42.632+27.351โ€”
8
Arvid Lindblad
Racing Bulls
?โ†’?
1:52:00.417+45.136โ€”
9
Franco Colapinto
Alpine
?โ†’?
1:52:02.634+47.353โ€”
10
Yuki Tsunoda
Racing Bulls
?โ†’?
1:52:13.468+58.187โ€”
11
Gabriel Bortoleto
Audi
?โ†’?
1:52:20.468+65.187โ€”
12
Nico Hulkenberg
Audi
?โ†’?
1:52:21.468+66.187โ€”
13
Carlos Sainz
Williams
?โ†’?
1:52:29.398+74.117โ€”
14
Liam Lawson
Red Bull Racing
?โ†’?
1:52:30.890+75.609โ€”
15
Ollie Bearman
Haas
?โ†’?
1:52:34.239+78.958โ€”
16
Esteban Ocon
Haas
?โ†’?
1:51:21.872+1 lapโ€”
17
Alex Albon
Williams
?โ†’?
1:51:35.549+1 lapโ€”
18
Sergio Perez
Cadillac
?โ†’?
1:52:28.653+1 lap (incl. 5s penalty)โ€”
19
Valtteri Bottas
Cadillac
?โ†’?
1:51:28.161+2 lapsโ€”
20
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
?โ†’?
โ€”DNFโ€”
21
Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin
?โ†’?
โ€”DNFโ€”
22
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
?โ†’?
โ€”DNFโ€”