Antonelli turns 19th-place start into Italian Grand Prix victory
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli completed a major comeback at Monza, passing through the field before beating team-mate George Russell to victory.
Kimi Antonelli has won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza after starting 19th on the grid, delivering Mercedes a significant home-race result and becoming the first Italian winner of the event in 60 years, according to Sky Sports.
Antonelli’s recovery followed grid penalties and included a rapid rise through the field. He was running 12th when a red flag brought the race to a halt, gained four places on the restart lap and had moved into third by lap 13.
The Mercedes driver later benefited from a Virtual Safety Car pit stop, switching to fresher medium tyres while George Russell remained on more-worn hard tyres. Antonelli eventually passed his team-mate to take the lead and secure the win.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said Antonelli’s ability to overtake through traffic was the decisive factor, describing the result as the product of the driver and car working together. He also said he had sensed a special performance might be possible at Antonelli’s home track.
Sky Sports commentators praised the drive, with Martin Brundle calling Antonelli “King Kimi” and Nico Rosberg describing the performance as “unheard of”. Formula 1 now moves to Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit.
