Antonelli Wins Italian Grand Prix From 19th on the Grid at Monza
Kimi Antonelli produced one of the great comeback drives in recent Formula 1 history at Monza, recovering from 19th on the grid to win the Italian Grand Prix and become the first Italian to win his home race since 1966.
The 20-year-old had been sent to the back of the grid after Mercedes took a full power unit change ahead of the weekend. He finished ahead of team mate George Russell, who had started on the front row, with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull.
Through the Field
Antonelli was up to seventh within a handful of laps before the race was interrupted. Charles Leclerc, battling Oscar Piastri for fourth on lap two, lost the rear of his Ferrari coming out of Parabolica and hit the tyre barrier hard. He escaped significant injury but reported a vision problem, and the crash brought out a red flag and forced a standing restart.
Pierre Gasly, who had taken a surprise first career pole for Alpine on Saturday, led away again but was quickly swallowed up. Antonelli continued to climb and took the lead from Russell on lap 18, though the pair traded places several times as the yo-yo effect of this year's power units and the slipstream down Monza's long straights kept the leading group bunched.
The race turned on lap 28. A Virtual Safety Car was deployed when Lance Stroll stopped his Aston Martin, and Mercedes split their strategies. Antonelli pitted for fresh medium tyres while Russell stayed out on hards he had used since the restart. Antonelli and Verstappen emerged sixth and seventh, just under 13 seconds behind Russell, then worked their way back.
Antonelli caught his team mate with five laps remaining and briefly ran wide at the first chicane on a track surface that was breaking up. He made the move stick on lap 50 of 53.
Wolff Says He Expected It
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said afterwards that he had gone into the race believing one of his two drivers would win it, describing Antonelli's performance as an amazing drive and saying there was nothing that would have stopped him.
Asked why he had been so confident, Wolff pointed to what he had observed in the days beforehand, saying he could tell winning at Monza was the driver's mission. On the strategy call, he acknowledged the team had not known which approach would work, saying the models had suggested Russell's one-stop would come out ahead.
The result is Antonelli's seventh win of the season and moves him level with Russell on seven career victories. He extends his lead in the drivers' championship from 59 points to 66.
A Difficult Afternoon for Ferrari
Ferrari had brought an engine upgrade for their home race and left with nothing of note. Leclerc's crash ended his afternoon on lap two, and Lewis Hamilton finished sixth.
Hamilton criticised what he described as a lack of rules at the team after an early incident with his team mate compromised his race. Ferrari have now gone through their home weekend without a podium in a season where their title challenge has faded.
McLaren, meanwhile, was unable to secure a podium finish, with Lando Norris and Piastri finishing in fourth and fifth. Gasly faded to seventh after his pole.
