Antonelli ignites Monza and wins Italian GP to end 60-year curse

Andrea Kimi Antonelli turned Monza into an eruption of Italian emotion on Sunday.

Starting from 19th after a power-unit penalty, the Mercedes driver charged through the field and eventually fought his way into contention for victory before defeating teammate George Russell in one of the most entertaining Italian Grands Prix in recent years.

Antonelli’s victory was about far more than the result itself. It ended a 60-year wait for an Italian driver to win the Italian Grand Prix, since Ludovico Scarfiotti drove a Ferrari to victory at Monza in 1966.

For a driver who had been expected to face an almost impossible task after starting near the back, Antonelli instead delivered a remarkable comeback in front of his home crowd.

A dramatic start at Monza

The day began with Pierre Gasly on pole after producing one of the biggest qualifying surprises of the season. The Alpine driver had George Russell alongside him on the front row, while Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton occupied the second row.

The opening-lap battle immediately provided drama.

Hamilton attacked Leclerc at the first chicane, but the Ferrari teammates made contact as Leclerc defended his position. Hamilton was forced onto the grass and lost several places, although the incident was subsequently cleared without a penalty.

Verstappen, Piastri and Colapinto all benefited, while Norris and Lindblad also moved ahead of Hamilton.

Russell then made his move for the lead on the second lap, passing Gasly before Leclerc followed through.

But the battle at the front was about to be completely transformed.

Leclerc crash brings out red flag

On the third lap, Leclerc was trying to exploit his soft tyres to close in on Russell when he lost control of his Ferrari at the Parabolica.

The Monegasque touched the white line at the edge of the track, where the surface was dirty, and the Ferrari immediately snapped away from him. Leclerc spun at high speed before crashing heavily into the tyre barrier.

The impact caused extensive damage to the barrier and initially brought out the Safety Car before race control stopped the race with a red flag.

Antonelli begins his charge

Russell led Gasly, Verstappen, Colapinto, Piastri, Norris, Lindblad, Hamilton, Bearman and Ocon at the restart, with Bortoleto 11th and Antonelli already up to 12th.

The restart immediately produced another round of action.

Gasly challenged Russell for the lead, while Colapinto attacked Verstappen for fourth. The Argentine pushed too hard and ran wide into the gravel, dropping to 15th and losing what had looked like a potential career-defining result.

Hamilton also began his recovery, passing Lindblad and Norris before getting ahead of Piastri.

Meanwhile, Antonelli was cutting through the field at remarkable speed.

Within a lap of the restart, the Italian was already sixth. He then continued his advance, passing Norris and Gasly before setting his sights on the cars ahead.

Verstappen had meanwhile taken the lead from Russell, but the Mercedes driver remained within striking distance. Russell eventually regained the position at the Curva Grande after several exchanges.

Antonelli, however, was coming.

By Lap 15, he had passed Piastri and was running third, only around half a second behind Verstappen. Despite starting 19th, the championship leader was suddenly a genuine contender for victory.

Two laps later, Antonelli overtook Verstappen to take second.

Mercedes teammates go to war

Antonelli then attacked Russell for the lead and took first place on Lap 18.

The three leaders ran nose-to-tail, with Russell immediately looking for a response.

The Mercedes teammates traded the lead repeatedly. Russell regained first place, Antonelli responded, and the battle continued through Monza’s fast corners and long straights.

Mercedes eventually intervened and instructed both drivers to concentrate on building a gap to Verstappen rather than continuing to fight each other at maximum intensity.

Antonelli was initially unhappy with the instruction.

“Do you want me to stay behind?” he questioned over team radio.

Mercedes explained that Russell had been asked to pull away from Verstappen and that the team could reverse the order if necessary.

The two Mercedes drivers subsequently began to pull clear.

Strategy puts Antonelli in position to win

The strategic phase then became crucial.

Mercedes called Antonelli into the pits while Russell remained on track. Verstappen also stopped, while Antonelli switched to another set of medium tyres.

The Italian returned in fifth but immediately began recovering positions, passing Gasly and then Norris.

Hamilton and Piastri continued their own fight for the podium, while Verstappen moved back into contention.

Antonelli’s strategy, however, had put him in an increasingly favorable position.

With around 20 laps remaining, Mercedes told Russell that Antonelli was 25 seconds behind but still had two cars between them. The message was clear: Russell needed to push.

Antonelli then benefited when Hamilton ran wide under braking, allowing the Mercedes driver to move into third.

He soon passed Piastri as well and found himself only around eight seconds behind his teammate.

Mercedes engineer Marcus Dudley warned Russell that Antonelli was expected to close rapidly.

“Estimate is Kimi will arrive towards the end of the race,” Dudley told Russell over the radio.

Verstappen eventually moved past Piastri for third, although the McLaren driver fought back before Verstappen finally completed the pass on Lap 44.

At the front, however, the decisive battle was now between the two Mercedes cars.

Antonelli ends 60-year Italian wait

With the final laps approaching, the question was no longer whether Antonelli could fight for victory.

It was whether Russell could keep his teammate behind.

Antonelli had started the afternoon 19th and overcome a grid penalty that appeared to have destroyed his chances of a home victory. Instead, he turned the disadvantage into one of the defining drives of his young F1 career.

The result also fulfilled a piece of Italian motorsport history that had been hanging over Monza all weekend.

The last Italian driver to win the Italian GP was Ludovico Scarfiotti, who triumphed for Ferrari in 1966. Antonelli’s victory therefore brought an end to a wait of exactly 60 years.

And he did it at the wheel of a Mercedes, rather than a Ferrari, making the achievement even more striking for the home crowd.

For Antonelli, Monza was no longer a race he merely dreamed of winning.

It became the place where he finally broke Italy’s longest-running home-race drought.

A day of emotion at Monza

The race weekend had already been packed with historic moments before the lights went out.

Sebastian Vettel drove Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F2002 around Monza in an emotional tribute to the seven-time world champion, while Lightning McQueen also made an appearance as part of Formula 1 and Disney’s Cars celebrations.

But by the end of the afternoon, the biggest celebration belonged to Antonelli. Italy had waited six decades. Kimi Antonelli finally delivered.

FAQ

When was the last time an Italian driver won the Italian GP before Antonelli?

Ludovico Scarfiotti won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza for Ferrari in 1966. Antonelli’s 2026 victory ended a 60-year wait for another Italian winner.

Where did Antonelli start the 2026 Italian GP?

Antonelli started 19th after taking a power-unit-related grid penalty. Mercedes had deliberately accepted the penalty at Monza, where the long straights and overtaking opportunities offered him a chance to recover.