Kimi Antonelli Wins Italian Grand Prix From P19 in Stunning Comeback

THE COMEBACK

Kimi Antonelli won his home Italian Grand Prix at Monza after starting 19th on the grid, carving through the field to be racing for the lead inside 20 laps. He passed Max Verstappen for second on lap 15, then overtook teammate George Russell three laps later to lead for the first time.

THE FINISH

Running fresher tyres than Russell, who had stayed out on a longer stint, the two Mercedes drivers traded the lead as they pulled clear of the field. Antonelli caught his teammate again with five laps remaining, ran wide into the gravel on his first attempt to pass, then reeled Russell back in and made the move stick for good. He crossed the line 3.8 seconds clear to take his first Formula 1 victory.

A PIECE OF MONZA HISTORY

The win makes Antonelli the first Italian driver to win his home Grand Prix at Monza since Ludovico Scarfiotti did it for Ferrari in 1966, a sixty-year gap the home crowd had been waiting to see broken.

THE CONTEXT

The race also saw Charles Leclerc crash out on home soil at the Parabolica on lap two, and Lewis Hamilton complain his Ferrari teammate had pushed him off track on the opening lap. Verstappen held on for third ahead of Lando Norris, with Piastri fifth and Hamilton sixth, a rough day for both Red Bull's title rival and Ferrari at their own race. Antonelli's win, paired with Russell's second place, gives Mercedes a one-two finish at Monza and extends his lead in the drivers' championship.