Championship leader Kimi Antonelli has delivered one of the most sensational triumphs in the long history of the Italian Grand Prix by becoming the first home winner in 60 years after starting from 19th on the grid. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver, from nearby Emilia-Romagna, claimed his seventh win of the season on Sunday to extend his lead in the drivers’ title race as he seeks to become Italy’s first world champion since Ferrari’s Alberto Ascari in 1953. He is the first domestic winner of the Italian GP since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.
In a thrilling, helter-skelter race of wild overtaking moves, Antonelli came home 3.857 seconds ahead of his teammate and title rival George Russell, who is now 66 points adrift in the championship, with four-time champion Max Verstappen third for Red Bull. For the impassioned Italian crowd, his win was some consolation for their disappointment in seeing Ferrari endure a disappointing flop with Charles Leclerc crashing out on lap two, and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton finishing sixth behind the McLaren pair of world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Antonelli had started at the back of the grid after taking penalties for power-unit changes, but showed searing pace throughout as he carved through the field – benefitting from an early red flag stoppage – before outracing Russell to win.
The Monegasque, who is a two-time winner at Monza, then lost control on the exit of the Parabolica at the end of lap two, going straight into the gravel and flying side-on into the tyre barriers. Leclerc stepped out of the car, looking winded but otherwise unhurt. The race was red-flagged with Russell in the lead, having overtaken pole-sitter Pierre Gasly of Alpine.
Antonelli, who began at the back of the field in 19th after exceeding the permitted number of power-unit changes, had already moved his way up to 12th. Once the race restarted, he continued to pick his way through the field. On lap 18, he hit the front for the first time, but that was the start of a desperate dogfight with Russell.
Antonelli benefited from a “free” tyre change during a virtual safety car on lap 29, coming out on a fresh set of mediums while Russell was left out on track with his hard tyres. A 15-second lead quickly evaporated, and after a botched overtaking effort on lap 49, Antonelli finally slipped past Russell a lap later and eased his way through the final three laps to take the chequered flag.
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