Kimi Antonelli wins Italian Grand Prix from 19th on grid to extend championship lead

Drive from the back of the grid

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday after starting from 19th position on the grid due to an engine change penalty. The 20-year-old Italian driver from Bologna completed between 26 and 29 overtakes during the grand prix, crossing the line with a 13-second margin over teammate George Russell. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen took third place after starting higher up the order. Antonelli set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap to secure maximum points. The result made him the first Italian Formula One driver to win at Monza in 60 years, ending a drought dating back to 1966.

I would have backed myself for third to fifth place. But the win? At least I will never forget Monza 2026.

Strategy and race dynamics

The race swung during a virtual safety car period called after 28 laps, following an earlier red flag. Antonelli used the neutralization to make a second pit stop and switch to medium tires. Mercedes kept Russell on track to preserve track position on a one-stop strategy with hard tires, which left him vulnerable in the closing laps. Verstappen also pitted for hard compound tires, though he later stated that Red Bull lacked equivalent engine performance. Ferrari suffered early setbacks when Charles Leclerc squeezed teammate Lewis Hamilton off track at the first corner 15 seconds into the race, before Leclerc crashed out at Parabolica.

Championship standings and milestones

The victory was Antonelli's seventh of the 2026 season in his second year in Formula One. Antonelli now leads the Drivers' Championship with 267 points, holding a 66-point lead over Russell in second place with 10 races remaining in the 23-race season. The win moved Antonelli past Riccardo Patrese's career mark of six victories, placing him second among all-time Italian Formula One winners behind Alberto Ascari, who recorded 13 wins and two world titles. If Antonelli protects his points lead over the remaining rounds, he will become Italy's first Formula One world champion since Ascari in 1953.

Team reactions and celebrations

Monza logged a weekend attendance of 403,666 spectators, including approximately 100,000 ticket holders attending the race on Sunday. After the podium ceremony, Antonelli celebrated by eating tomato spaghetti from the winner's trophy and posting photos with the message Primo a casa mia. Italian long jump champion Mattia Furlani and MotoGP competitor Marco Bezzecchi, who played cards with Antonelli on the eve of the race, joined in the celebrations. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff noted that Antonelli had accelerated past initial development timelines after being promoted at age 18 in 2025 to replace Hamilton. Speaking on Rai radio on Monday, the driver's father Marco Antonelli stressed the need to stay focused despite the expanding championship lead.

Now it's important to keep our feet on the ground. Reality must never slip away from you, because you must never stop or rest on your laurels if you are going to achieve results.