Samwise F1 Newsletter
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Antonelli wins Italian GP from 19th on grid in sensational Monza recovery
Kimi Antonelli won the Italian Grand Prix from 19th on the grid at Monza, extending his drivers’ championship lead to 66 points over Mercedes team-mate George Russell. The 20-year-old had taken a 30-place grid penalty for exceeding his engine allocation but charged through the field after the red-flag restart triggered by Charles Leclerc’s lap-two crash. Antonelli chose medium tyres for the restart, rose to sixth by lap 14, and pitted under a Virtual Safety Car before catching Russell. He made the race-winning overtake with three laps to go. Verstappen was third, ahead of Norris and Piastri.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Leclerc crash at Parabolica triggers Italian GP red flag, driver needs health checks
Charles Leclerc’s Italian Grand Prix ended on lap two after a heavy crash at the Parabolica that brought out the red flag. Leclerc lost the rear of his Ferrari while battling Oscar Piastri’s McLaren through the high-speed corner, spinning hard into the tyre barriers. He walked away from the incident but said he needed further health checks before his status for the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid could be confirmed. The crash proved pivotal: the red-flag restart allowed Kimi Antonelli to switch to medium compound tyres, an advantage that ultimately carried him to victory.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Audi lodges appeal against decision not to penalise Tsunoda for Italian GP start error
Audi has filed its intention to appeal the FIA stewards’ decision not to penalise Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda after a start error at the Italian Grand Prix restart. Tsunoda briefly entered the wrong grid slot during the post-red-flag formation lap before correcting himself. Stewards ruled he had not technically caused an additional formation lap and cleared him. Audi argues the incident breached Article B5.9.4, which requires the driver responsible for an extra formation lap to start from the pit lane. A successful appeal would strip Tsunoda of his 10th-place point and award it to Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto.
Hadjar sidelined for third straight race as Lawson continues at Red Bull for Spanish GP
Isack Hadjar will miss this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, his third consecutive absence due to a wrist injury sustained during a boxing training session over the summer break. Red Bull confirmed that Liam Lawson will continue as Hadjar’s stand-in for a third successive race, while Yuki Tsunoda again covers Lawson’s seat at Racing Bulls. Hadjar suffered a hairline wrist fracture and is described as progressing well in his recovery but is not yet cleared to race. He will attend the Madrid event to support the team. Lawson finished seventh at Zandvoort and 14th at Monza.
Verstappen felt like a turtle against Mercedes Overtake Mode on Monza straights
Max Verstappen said he was powerless to defend against rivals using Mercedes’ Overtake Mode on Monza’s straights, describing the sensation as being passed like a turtle. Verstappen led three laps but could not hold position once pursuing drivers activated the additional deployment mode, which he said was too powerful to overcome even on fresher tyres. He aimed to stay within one second of those behind to limit the mode’s effectiveness but could not consistently maintain that gap. Verstappen ultimately held off McLarens Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to claim third, though the experience highlighted Red Bull’s growing deficit on raw straight-line power.
Russell passed Antonelli after Mercedes ordered halt to yo-yo racing at Italian GP
George Russell re-passed team-mate Kimi Antonelli during the Italian Grand Prix after Mercedes instructed both drivers to end the repetitive overtaking cycle between them, with rivals Ferrari and Red Bull still in range. Russell had been leading before the Virtual Safety Car pit stop cycle left him behind Antonelli. When Russell caught and passed his team-mate again, Mercedes issued the order to hold position and prevent further swaps, concerned that yo-yo racing would invite an attack from behind. The instruction eventually reversed, with Antonelli making the decisive pass three laps from the end to take the win.
Ferrari vows Madrid comeback after Vasseur calls Italian GP a failure
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said his team will arrive at this weekend’s inaugural Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid determined to bounce back from what he called a failure at Monza. Ferrari looked competitive in Italian GP practice and qualifying, with Charles Leclerc starting second on the grid, but the weekend unravelled after Leclerc’s lap-two crash and Lewis Hamilton’s sixth-place finish. Vasseur said the team needs to deliver a strong result at the new Madring circuit to stay relevant in the constructors’ championship. Mercedes now leads Ferrari by 122 points in the teams’ standings with 10 races remaining.
Sources: Sky Sports F1
Madrid’s all-new Madring circuit makes F1 debut at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix
Formula 1 makes its debut at the Madring circuit in Madrid this weekend for the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix, the 14th round of the 2026 season from September 11 to 13. Madring combines purpose-built track with public roads around the IFEMA Madrid exhibition complex, forming a 5.4-kilometre, 22-corner layout. Turn 12, a banked corner rising 10 metres with a 24-percent gradient, is the circuit’s headline feature, generating over 4G at speed. Madrid last hosted a grand prix at Jarama in 1981. A recent Formula 3 test produced 19 red flags across two days. Sunny conditions and temperatures of 32–33 degrees Celsius are forecast.
FIA will not rush decision on Middle East F1 rounds as Qatar and Abu Dhabi future assessed
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem confirmed the governing body will not make a rushed decision on the future of Formula 1’s remaining Middle East rounds on the 2026 calendar. The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were cancelled earlier in the season due to regional conflict, cutting the schedule to 22 rounds. Ben Sulayem said the FIA is assessing the outlook for the Qatar and Abu Dhabi events scheduled later this year and would not pre-empt a decision. Discussions with promoters and local authorities continue, with potential European contingency venues under consideration, but no announcement is imminent.
Drivers Championship
| Pos | Driver | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | K. Antonelli | 267 |
| 2 | G. Russell | 201 |
| 3 | L. Hamilton | 191 |
| 4 | L. Norris | 171 |
| 5 | C. Leclerc | 155 |
| 6 | M. Verstappen | 127 |
| 7 | O. Piastri | 116 |
| 8 | I. Hadjar | 71 |
| 9 | L. Lawson | 51 |
| 10 | P. Gasly | 41 |
| 11 | A. Lindblad | 29 |
| 12 | F. Colapinto | 21 |
| 13 | O. Bearman | 18 |
| 14 | G. Bortoleto | 10 |
| 15 | N. Hülkenberg | 6 |
| 16 | C. Sainz | 6 |
| 17 | A. Albon | 5 |
| 18 | E. Ocon | 3 |
| 19 | F. Alonso | 3 |
| 20 | Y. Tsunoda | 1 |
| 21 | L. Stroll | 0 |
| 22 | V. Bottas | 0 |
| 23 | S. Pérez | 0 |
Constructors Championship
| Pos | Constructor | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 468 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 346 |
| 3 | McLaren | 287 |
| 4 | Red Bull | 204 |
| 5 | Racing Bulls | 75 |
| 6 | Alpine | 62 |
| 7 | Haas | 21 |
| 8 | Audi | 16 |
| 9 | Williams | 11 |
| 10 | Aston Martin | 3 |
| 11 | Cadillac | 0 |
Every newsletter preserved and searchable
Curated by JD · samwise.agency