A comeback from the second-to-last row all the way to the top step of the podium. Kimi Antonelli won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, delivering one of the most important results of his young career and bringing an Italian driver back to victory in his home race after sixty years.
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver, leader of the Formula 1 World Championship, crossed the finish line ahead of teammate George Russell, while Max Verstappen completed the podium in the Red Bull. (Reuters)
The scale of the achievement is largely down to the position from which Antonelli had to start the race. The Italian driver was forced to start from the back of the grid after exceeding the regulatory limit for power unit component changes. Mercedes had decided to fit his car with a fifth power unit of the season, following reliability issues encountered during the championship. (Motorsport)
On the official grid Antonelli occupied 20th position, although he actually took the start from 19th following changes to the starting order. His Sunday thus turned, from the very first laps, into a long chase towards the front of the field. (Formula 1® – The Official F1® Website)
The race scenario was also quickly reshaped by Charles Leclerc’s serious accident. The Ferrari driver lost control of his car at the Parabolica on the second lap, crashing violently into the barriers. The incident triggered a red flag and the suspension of the race to allow repairs to the safety barriers. Leclerc got out of the car unaided and was later declared to be in good condition after medical checks. (Reuters)
At the restart Russell found himself in the lead, but Antonelli kept clawing back ground. The battle between the two Mercedes drivers gradually became the central storyline of the race, right up to the closing stages.
Strategy and tyre management played a decisive role. A Virtual Safety Car allowed Antonelli to fit fresher medium tyres, while Russell remained on track on more worn rubber. The Italian thus closed the gap and, after a first attempt that briefly sent him onto the gravel, returned to the attack. The decisive overtake came on lap 50, allowing him to reclaim the lead of the race for good. (Total Motorsport)
From that moment on Antonelli controlled the final kilometres all the way to the chequered flag.
The victory also carries historic significance. Before him, the last Italian able to win the Italian Grand Prix in Formula 1 had been Ludovico Scarfiotti, who triumphed at Monza on 4 September 1966 at the wheel of a Ferrari. Sixty years later, an Italian driver has won again in front of the home crowd. (Reuters)
The comeback also has a particularly distant precedent in Formula 1 history: no driver had managed to win starting from 19th position or further back since John Watson’s victory in 1983. (theScore)
For Antonelli, the Monza triumph represents his seventh victory of the 2026 season, a result that further consolidates his position at the top of the championship standings. (Notizie Azere)
The Italian Sunday had, in fact, threatened to turn into a favourable opportunity for Russell. Before the race, the Briton trailed his teammate by 59 points, and Antonelli’s penalty seemed to offer him the chance to significantly close the gap.
The exact opposite happened. With victory at Monza and Russell finishing second, Antonelli extended his championship lead to 66 points after 13 rounds. (Reuters)
A Sunday that began at the back of the grid ended on the top step of the podium: nineteenth at the start, first at the finish, and the first Italian to win at Monza since 1966.
