Fan data
Fans split over the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, with penalties at the centre
The 2026 Monaco Grand Prix gave the principality a record and a champion in form, yet the fan reaction to the race divided sharply, with the weekend's penalties at the centre of it.
According to more than 800 ratings collected by BoxBoxd, where fans score every race in the hours after it finishes, the Monaco round drew an average of 2.55 out of 5 and a happiness reading of 37 out of 100, below the 3.36 average fans have given the season to date. The scores were polarised rather than flat: 29 percent went to a single star and 5 percent to the full five, with the most common score sitting in the middle at three.
Where Monaco sat in the 2026 season
Much of that split traced back to the stewards rather than the circuit. Antonelli converted pole into a lights to flag win, led every lap and held a margin of more than thirty seconds by lap 60, far enough ahead to lap the field as far back as third place. At 19 years and nine months he became the youngest winner in the history of the event, taking a record Lewis Hamilton had held since 2008. It was his fifth consecutive win and moved his championship lead to 66 points.
Penalties dominated the reaction
Where the audience parted was the officiating. Five and ten second sanctions, drive through penalties and pit lane speeding calls reordered the closing laps, dropping Pierre Gasly from third on the road to seventh and handing Isack Hadjar a podium behind Hamilton, who recorded a record equalling eighth Monaco podium. Across every Monaco review the word fans used most was penalties, followed by penalty and boring. In the reviews scoring the race one or two stars, penalties appeared more than fifty times, well ahead of any driver, team or the circuit itself.
The track work drew a warmer response. Qualifying around the streets scored 3.12 out of 5, more than half a star above the race and fans rated Saturday the high point of the weekend.
The verdict moved with allegiance
Sorted by allegiance, the verdict moved with the result on track. Aston Martin fans returned the warmest reading at 54 out of 100, while Red Bull Racing fans, whose lead driver Max Verstappen retired, gave the lowest at 22. Fans whose driver finished on the podium scored the race 38 points above the neutral average, while fans of a driver who retired or finished out of the points came in 8 points below it.
The official Driver of the Day vote went to Antonelli with 22.4 percent, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton, tied on 14.1 percent. On BoxBoxd, where fans name the driver they felt was denied the award, 36 percent chose Leclerc, the home driver and the crowd's clear favourite.
Monaco produced a record and a dominant win, though the reviews suggest the penalties, more than the racing, coloured how fans remembered the day.
Frequently asked questions
What score did fans give the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix?
More than 800 fans on BoxBoxd rated it an average of 2.55 out of 5 with a happiness reading of 37 out of 100, below the 3.36 season average. Twenty nine percent scored it a single star and 5 percent the full five.
Was the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix boring?
Fans were divided and the main complaint was the penalties rather than the circuit. The word fans used most across every review was penalties, ahead of penalty and boring.
Who won the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix?
Kimi Antonelli won from pole, leading every lap to become the youngest winner in the history of the event at 19 years and nine months. It was his fifth consecutive win and moved his championship lead to 66 points.
Why were there so many penalties at Monaco 2026?
Five and ten second sanctions, drive through penalties and pit lane speeding calls reordered the closing laps, dropping Pierre Gasly from third on the road to seventh and promoting Isack Hadjar to the podium.
Ratings collected from BoxBoxd, the social network where fans rate every race they watch.