Antonelli wins Italian Grand Prix from 19th as Russell’s title challenge fades

Kimi Antonelli has won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza for Mercedes after starting 19th on the grid, passing team-mate George Russell with about five laps remaining.

Antonelli was penalised for exceeding his season engine allocation but made rapid progress through the field, reaching third by lap 13 and moving into a Mercedes one-two with Russell three laps later.

A virtual safety car prompted Mercedes to split its drivers’ tyre strategies. Antonelli then recovered from a 14.3-second deficit after his pit stop, catching Russell late in the race despite four cars separating them.

Antonelli briefly ran wide at Turn 1 while attempting to pass, but regained ground and moved ahead on the straight between the second Lesmo corner and Ascari. Russell finished second, with Max Verstappen reported to have taken third.

The victory was Antonelli’s seventh in 13 grands prix this season and the first by an Italian driver in the Italian Grand Prix for 60 years. Russell now trails his team-mate by 66 points in the championship.

BBC Sport reported that the result followed Antonelli’s difficult free-practice crash at Monza two years ago, marking a significant turnaround at his home race.