Kimi Antonelli turned Monza into his own theatre with a victory that few could have seen coming. Starting 19th after a grid penalty, the Mercedes driver fought through the field and passed team-mate George Russell with three laps left to win his home Italian Grand Prix.
It was a remarkable comeback for the 20-year-old. Only John Watson, who won the 1983 United States Grand Prix West from 22nd, has won from further back on the grid.
Antonelli had been expected to spend the race limiting the damage to his championship lead. Instead, he produced one of the drives of his young career and extended his advantage over Russell to 66 points.
The race was shaken early when Charles Leclerc lost control at the Parabolica. His Ferrari spun after running wide while defending from Oscar Piastri and crashed heavily into the barriers, forcing a red flag.
Leclerc escaped without injury, but the incident changed the race. Russell had already moved into the lead, while Antonelli used the restart to launch his charge through the pack.
Within 13 laps, the Italian had gone from 19th to third. He passed Gasly, Hamilton, Piastri and Norris before joining Russell and Max Verstappen in a fierce fight for the lead.
The new 2026 power units added another layer to the battle. Slipstream and electrical deployment allowed the cars to trade positions on Monza’s long straights, while Mercedes also used team tactics around Overtake Mode.
The turning point came when Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin stopped on Lap 29. Mercedes kept Russell out on hard tyres, while Antonelli switched to fresh rubber and rejoined 15 seconds behind his team-mate.
That gap soon disappeared. Antonelli cut through the field and reached Russell with five laps remaining, but his first attack went wrong when he ran wide at the first chicane.
For a moment, victory looked in danger. Antonelli recovered quickly and made his decisive move three laps from the finish, sweeping past Russell before pulling clear.
“It was quite scary there in the moment,” Antonelli said. “But luckily we still had the pace and managed to bring it home.”
Russell settled for second, while Verstappen completed the podium. Lando Norris finished fourth after a late battle with Piastri, with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton sixth.
For Antonelli, though, Monza belonged to him. “Unbelievable! I am so happy and I could have never imagined to be here today,” he said.
