Kimi Antonelli Makes History with Stunning Italian GP Win from the Back of the Grid

Sensational Kimi Antonelli fought his way from the back of the grid to become the first home winner of the Italian Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966. The title-race leader started the race at Monza in 19th place due to engine penalties but produced an extraordinary performance, fighting his way through the opposition to finish ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell in second, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen third.

For the second race running, there was a big crash near the beginning. This time it was Charles Leclerc who crashed out heavily at the end of Lap 2 at Parabolica, having already nearly taken out Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton with an aggressive move. Russell took the lead after the restart but would eventually finish 3.857 seconds behind Antonelli, 20, after being hunted down by a teammate on fresher tyres late in the race.

“It feels like a dream,” said a disbelieving Antonelli on the team radio after claiming a victory that increased his lead over Russell in the drivers' championship to 66 points. “I did not expect it. Unbelievable, unbelievable. I am so happy, I could not have imagined to be here today but we managed to pull it off and I am really, really happy.”

Russell had been hoping to claw some points back from his teammate’s advantage and now finds himself further behind going into next weekend's Spanish GP in Madrid. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff hailed Antonelli's efforts as “an amazing drive,” praising his control and racecraft throughout the event.

McLaren's reigning champion Lando Norris finished fourth, with teammate Oscar Piastri fifth. Ferrari's Hamilton was sixth, followed by Pierre Gasly in seventh, Arvid Lindblad in eighth, Franco Colapinto in ninth, and Yuki Tsunoda rounding out the points in 10th place.