For Antonelli, it was not only his seventh victory of the season but also a particularly special triumph in front of his home crowd. He became the first Italian since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966 to win the Grand Prix at Monza. The championship leader had been forced to start so far back because of a power-unit penalty. Antonelli had originally qualified seventh on Saturday, but Mercedes introduced additional power-unit components and exceeded the permitted allocation. With Fernando Alonso and Liam Lawson starting from the pit lane, the 20-year-old eventually lined up 19th.
Russell takes an early lead – Ferrari pair clash at the start
Pole-sitter Pierre Gasly made a strong getaway and initially kept Russell behind. Further back, things were already tight between the two Ferraris at the opening chicane. Lewis Hamilton tried to go down the inside of team-mate Charles Leclerc but was forced wide on the exit and lost several positions. The seven-time world champion dropped down the order and made his frustration clear over the radio, although the stewards took no further action.
Gasly managed to lead the entire opening lap, but he could no longer hold Russell off on the long start-finish straight. At the beginning of lap two, the Mercedes swept past and moved into first place.
While the leading group fought for position, Antonelli had already begun his recovery drive. Before the first interruption, he had gained seven places and climbed from 19th to 12th.
Leclerc crash changes the entire race
At the end of lap two, the character of the race changed dramatically. Leclerc was defending his position against Oscar Piastri through the fast Parabolica when he ran very wide and lost control of the Ferrari on corner exit. The car slid through the gravel and hit the outside barrier at high speed.
Leclerc was able to climb out of the heavily damaged car unaided and escaped injury. Yellow flags were shown initially, but the race was soon red-flagged. Repairs were required to the damaged barrier, meaning one of the two Ferraris was already out after just two laps at the team’s home Grand Prix.
The stoppage also had a major impact on strategy. Teams are allowed to change tyres during a red flag without having to make a conventional pit stop under racing conditions. Russell switched from mediums to hards, while Antonelli went the other way and fitted a fresh set of mediums after starting on the hard compound.
That changed the complexion of the race for the restart. Antonelli still had plenty of traffic ahead of him, but he now had a tyre with which he could immediately attack.
Antonelli charges through the field after the restart
The race resumed with a standing start. Antonelli was 12th and immediately continued the progress he had made before the red flag. Within a handful of laps, the Italian had worked his way into the leading group.
Gasly, meanwhile, was unable to maintain the advantage of his strong starting position. Verstappen passed the Alpine early on, with several more drivers following shortly afterwards. At the front, Russell and Verstappen initially developed a battle for the lead. The Red Bull driver briefly moved ahead before Russell reclaimed first place on lap 15.
One lap later, Antonelli became a genuine part of the fight. The Mercedes driver overtook Verstappen to move into second, then passed Russell on lap 18 to lead the race for the first time.
The two Mercedes drivers traded positions several times over the following laps. Slipstreaming was particularly important on Monza’s long straights, while both also had to manage their available energy carefully. Russell eventually regained the lead on lap 22.
The fact Antonelli was even fighting for victory at that stage was remarkable given where he had started. Before half distance, 19th on the grid had already turned into a direct battle with his team-mate for first place.
Stroll retirement creates another strategic opportunity
On lap 28, Lance Stroll went off at Turn 1 and stopped with a suspected hydraulic problem. A virtual safety car was deployed while the Aston Martin was recovered.
Mercedes reacted immediately with Antonelli. The Italian pitted from second place and fitted another fresh set of medium tyres. Russell stayed out and retained the lead. Antonelli rejoined in sixth, around 15 seconds behind his team-mate. Verstappen also used the VSC period to stop and switched to the hard compound.
Mercedes had therefore split its strategies for the final part of the race. Russell prioritised track position and aimed to run to the finish without another stop, while Antonelli had to work his way through the field once more on fresh tyres.
The recovery quickly gathered momentum. By lap 31, Antonelli was already back up to fourth. Four laps later he passed Hamilton, before overtaking Piastri on lap 36. That put him back into second and allowed him to focus entirely on Russell.
The gap to the leader initially stood at more than ten seconds, but Antonelli steadily cut into it. By lap 40, the margin was down to less than six seconds. A few laps later, it was clear the race was heading towards a direct Mercedes showdown.
Scare on lap 49 – decision comes one lap later
Antonelli reached striking distance on lap 49. He attacked Russell into the opening chicane, with the Briton defending the inside line. Antonelli moved to the outside, briefly lost grip and slid into the gravel.
For a moment, it appeared that the mistake might undo his entire recovery drive. The championship leader lost some time but made up almost all of it again before the end of the same lap.
At the start of lap 50, Antonelli tried again. This time he used the start-finish straight to draw alongside Russell, complete the move and take the lead for good. His team-mate was unable to respond.
Antonelli even pulled clear over the final kilometres and won after 53 laps by 3.857 seconds. To cap off an extraordinary afternoon, he also set the fastest lap of the race on the final tour, recording a 1:23.504.
After crossing the line, the Italian admitted he could barely believe what he had achieved. Given his starting position, he had not expected to fight for victory at all before the race. After the restart, however, he began to feel that far more might be possible.
There were also special scenes in the grandstands. Ferrari had failed to put a driver on the podium after Leclerc’s early retirement and Hamilton’s difficult race, but many of the traditionally red-clad Tifosi still celebrated the Italian winner. For the first time in 60 years, a home driver stood on the top step at Monza.
Hamilton salvages sixth, Verstappen finishes on the podium
Ferrari endured a disappointing home Grand Prix overall. After Leclerc’s early crash, Hamilton was left as the team’s only hope. The Briton recovered from his first-lap setback and spent part of the race fighting the McLarens, but he could not sustain their pace. Several off-track moments later in the race did not help either, leaving sixth place as the best he could manage.
Verstappen, by contrast, delivered a strong race. The Red Bull driver remained in contention with both Mercedes cars for a long spell, even leading at one stage, and stayed within reach until the VSC phase. In the closing stages, however, he could not match Antonelli’s pace. Third place still secured another podium.
Behind him, Lando Norris won the intra-McLaren battle to finish fourth ahead of Oscar Piastri. Gasly was unable to convert Saturday’s pole position into a similar result and gradually slipped back to seventh.
Antonelli extends his championship lead
The home victory further strengthens Antonelli’s already comfortable position in the championship. After 13 races, the Mercedes driver now has 267 points. Russell sits 66 points behind on 201, with Hamilton third on 191. Norris follows on 171, Leclerc has 155 and Verstappen moved up to 127 with his third-place finish.
Mercedes have also extended their advantage in the constructors’ standings. The team now leads with 468 points, ahead of Ferrari on 346 and McLaren on 287.
It is still too early to speak of a decisive break in the title race. Regardless of the championship picture, however, Antonelli’s charge from 19th on the grid to victory at Monza already looks certain to be remembered as one of the defining races of the Formula 1 season.
Italian Grand Prix race result
P1 – Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 1:51:15.281
P2 – George Russell (Mercedes) – +3.857
P3 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – +14.718
P4 – Lando Norris (McLaren) – +19.056
P5 – Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +19.253
P6 – Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +24.655
P7 – Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – +27.351
P8 – Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – +45.136
P9 – Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – +47.353
P10 – Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) – +58.187
P11 – Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – +65.187
P12 – Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) – +66.187
P13 – Carlos Sainz (Williams) – +74.117
P14 – Liam Lawson (Red Bull) – +75.609
P15 – Oliver Bearman (Haas) – +78.958
P16 – Esteban Ocon (Haas) – +1 lap
P17 – Alexander Albon (Williams) – +1 lap
P18 – Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) – +1 lap
P19 – Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – +2 laps
DNF – Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
DNF – Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
DNF – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
