{"id":722842,"date":"2026-06-08T10:19:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T10:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/722842\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T10:19:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T10:19:12","slug":"what-the-international-media-are-saying-about-the-f1-monaco-gp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/722842\/","title":{"rendered":"What the international media are saying about the F1 Monaco GP"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Formula 1 paddock arrived in Monaco expecting a three-way fight between Kimi Antonelli<\/a>, Max Verstappen<\/a> and Ferrari<\/a>. It left with a very different story.<\/p>\n

While Antonelli’s fifth consecutive victory dominated headlines around the world, the way international media interpreted the race varied considerably. In Italy, it was a coronation. In France, attention centred on Isack Hadjar’s breakthrough podium. Germany focused on the chaos and Audi’s struggles, while Spain saw the emergence of Formula 1’s next superstar.<\/p>\n

Gazzetta dello Sport: “The new king of Monte Carlo”<\/p>\n

Nowhere was Antonelli’s victory celebrated more enthusiastically than in his home country.<\/p>\n

Italy\u2019s Gazzetta dello Sport immediately crowned the Mercedes<\/a> driver “the new king of Monte Carlo”, portraying the win as the official arrival of Italy’s next sporting hero.<\/p>\n

Rather than focusing on the late-race drama, the Italian newspaper highlighted the maturity with which Antonelli controlled the event from pole position.<\/p>\n

“When the visor came down, the young Italian entered a world that belonged entirely to him.”<\/p>\n

The paper also pointed to Antonelli’s pre-race comment that he did not need to do anything magical, only make a clean start.<\/p>\n

As Verstappen, Lando Norris<\/a>, Charles Leclerc<\/a>, Valtteri Bottas<\/a> and Oliver Bearman<\/a> all fell by the wayside, Gazzetta ultimately saw only one story.<\/p>\n

“In a race full of surprises, there was only one certainty at the front: the coronation of Monaco’s new king.”<\/p>\n

Even Lewis Hamilton’s second place for Ferrari received relatively little attention. For Italy, Monaco belonged entirely to Antonelli.<\/p>\n

\"Hoewel <\/p>\n

Photo by: Sam Bloxham \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

L’Equipe and Le Monde: A French success story<\/p>\n

French media viewed the race through a very different lens.<\/p>\n

While Antonelli’s dominance was acknowledged, coverage largely revolved around Isack Hadjar<\/a> securing the first Red Bull podium of his career.<\/p>\n

L’Equipe summed up the French driver’s afternoon through his own radio-style reaction after the finish:<\/p>\n

“My God, why does it always have to be so complicated?”<\/p>\n

For the French sports daily, Monaco was primarily a race of survival. Penalties, investigations and reliability concerns shaped the narrative, with Hadjar emerging as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the chaos.<\/p>\n

Le Monde took a similar approach, describing Hadjar’s race as an emotional rollercoaster and highlighting the engine concerns he managed throughout the grand prix.<\/p>\n

The newspaper also noted a statistic that resonated strongly in France: for the first time since Spa 2018, three French drivers scored points in the same Formula 1 race.<\/p>\n

With Hadjar, Pierre Gasly<\/a> and Esteban Ocon<\/a> all finishing in the points, the French press found a national success story amid the confusion.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

Auto Bild and Sportschau: Antonelli untouchable, Audi<\/a> still waiting<\/p>\n

German media focused largely on contrasts. Auto Bild described Antonelli as “unstoppable” while emphasising the significance of becoming the youngest Monaco winner in Formula 1 history.<\/p>\n

The publication also highlighted Verstappen’s early retirement, which removed one of the few drivers seen as capable of challenging the Mercedes driver.<\/p>\n

Public broadcaster Sportschau focused more heavily on the race’s chaotic elements: the red flag caused by the deteriorating track surface, George Russell’s controversial penalty and the confusion surrounding stewarding decisions.<\/p>\n

The outlet also pointed out one symbolic statistic: Antonelli lapped his own team-mate Russell.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Audi’s difficult start to life in Formula 1 remained a major talking point. Nico Hulkenberg<\/a> again missed out on points, leaving the German manufacturer still searching for its first championship score.<\/p>\n

\"Andrea <\/p>\n

Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Marca: Antonelli joins Monaco’s legends<\/p>\n

Perhaps the strongest praise came from Spain. According to Marca, Antonelli did not merely win the Monaco Grand Prix \u2013 he entered the principality’s pantheon of greats.<\/p>\n

“The Italian is no longer simply a wonderkind in the fastest car on the grid. He is becoming something much bigger.”<\/p>\n

The newspaper argued that the true significance of the victory extended beyond raw pace.<\/p>\n

“The Mercedes driver not only won the race; he delivered another psychological blow to all his rivals.”<\/p>\n

With Verstappen retiring, Russell struggling, Norris failing to finish and Leclerc crashing out, Antonelli’s mistake-free performance only reinforced that perception.<\/p>\n

Marca also devoted considerable attention to the Spanish contingent, praising Fernando Alonso’s weekend despite a disappointing result and noting that Carlos Sainz<\/a> briefly looked capable of scoring points before his race unravelled.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Photo by: Alastair Staley \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Guardian: A champion’s drive<\/p>\n

The Guardian viewed Monaco as perhaps Antonelli’s most impressive victory yet.<\/p>\n

Not because of his speed, which the newspaper considered already well established, but because of how he handled the pressure once the race became increasingly unpredictable.<\/p>\n

The British newspaper described the win as a “consummate victory”<\/p>\n

Particular attention was paid to the final standing restart following the red flag.<\/p>\n

“Antonelli had to weather first the tense final moments of a safety car restart and then the immense pressure of a full standing start after a red flag prompted when the track itself was breaking up at the final corner. “<\/p>\n

The Guardian argued that, while Hamilton briefly appeared to have an opportunity into Turn 1, Antonelli never lost control of the situation.<\/p>\n

“He held his line, nerve and the place, a lead he maintained to the flag.\u201d<\/p>\n

The paper ultimately described the performance as a championship-calibre drive and suggested it may be the first of many Monaco victories.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

GE: The 19-year-old veteran<\/p>\n

Brazilian media naturally devoted significant attention to Gabriel Bortoleto<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After technical problems before the start forced the Audi driver to begin from the pitlane, points initially looked impossible. Through strategy, attrition and post-race penalties, he eventually climbed to 11th.<\/p>\n

Yet even in Brazil much of the focus returned to Antonelli.<\/p>\n

GE described the Mercedes driver as a “19-year-old veteran” for the composure he displayed despite safety cars, restarts and relentless pressure from Hamilton.<\/p>\n

\"Gabriel <\/p>\n

Photo by: Luca Barsali – NurPhoto – Getty Images<\/p>\n

Auto Sport Web: Chaos for everyone else<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most interesting perspective came from Japan.<\/p>\n

While many European outlets focused on the interruptions and controversy, Auto Sport Web saw Monaco primarily as a demonstration of outright dominance.<\/p>\n

According to the Japanese publication, Antonelli was never seriously threatened, even while negotiating traffic.<\/p>\n

The site highlighted how he repeatedly built comfortable gaps, placed virtually the entire field a lap down and remained faster than his rivals even on heavily worn tyres.<\/p>\n

One particularly telling moment came when Mercedes informed Antonelli over team radio that there was no need to pursue the fastest lap.<\/p>\n

Despite that instruction, he continued to lap quicker than the cars behind him.<\/p>\n

For Auto Sport Web, Monaco was not fundamentally a story about chaos, penalties or red flags. It was a story about one driver operating on a different level from everyone else.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

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– The Motorsport.com Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Formula 1 paddock arrived in Monaco expecting a three-way fight between Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen and Ferrari.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":722843,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,344801,813,816,341288,85,350220],"class_list":["post-722842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-f1","tag-f1-monaco-grand-prix","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-monaco-gp","tag-sports","tag-what-the-international-media-are-saying-about-the-f1-monaco-gp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=722842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/722843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=722842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=722842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=722842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}