"A Dream Comes True"

Kimi Antonelli: The last time this happened was 60 years ago

Kimi Antonelli: The big winner at Monza.(Bild: AFP/MARCO BERTORELLO)

What a comeback at Monza! Starting from 19th on the grid, Kimi Antonelli stormed all the way to the front and, at just 19 years old, caused a real Formula 1 sensation. In doing so, the Italian also made history.

No driver had ever raced to victory from such a poor starting position in 43 years. The last time this happened was in 1983, when British driver John Watson won the Long Beach Grand Prix from 22nd on the grid. Antonelli ultimately prevailed over his teammate George Russell and Max Verstappen in the Red Bull, further extending his lead in the World Championship. The Italian now leads Russell by 66 points. And: Antonelli is the first Italian to win the Italian Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.

“A Dream”
“It’s a dream come true for me,” Antonelli said in front of thousands of cheering fans. “It’s unbelievable. I’m so happy. I never would have thought it possible that I could do this today, but we pulled it off.” Russell congratulated his teammate, even though the championship seems to be slipping away: “It’s an incredible result for him.”

Leclerc Uninjured After Spin
Ferrari suffered a disaster on home soil. Lewis Hamilton could not finish higher than sixth, behind the two McLarens driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and now sits in third place in the World Championship, already 76 points behind Antonelli. He had already clashed with teammate Charles Leclerc at the very first chicane. Leclerc forced the record champion off the track, and the Englishman temporarily dropped back to tenth place.

  Verstappen overtook Leclerc and moved into third place. But that wasn’t all: When the Monegasque driver—who had secured Ferrari’s most recent home victories at Monza in 2019 and 2024—came under pressure from Piastri in the legendary Parabolica, he lost control of the car and crashed heavily into the track barrier.

  Leclerc escaped without serious injury, but the race was suspended for half an hour after four of 53 laps. By that point, Russell had already overtaken sensation pole-sitter Pierre Gasly in the Alpine. The Frenchman had held the lead for one lap. Antonelli, who had started from the back row due to an engine change, began the restart from twelfth position.

Charles Leclerc crashed into the tire barriers.(Bild: Screenshot/Instagram_f1)

Antonelli’s Comeback
Many teams put on the hard tires, hoping to avoid further pit stops. Verstappen, Hamilton, and Antonelli plowed through the field on the faster medium tires. Verstappen briefly took the lead from Russell on lap twelve, but the Englishman fought his way back two laps later. On lap 18, Antonelli took the lead for the first time, and the two Mercedes engaged in a duel for several laps with multiple lead changes.

  The team briefly held Antonelli back to prevent a constant back-and-forth. After Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin came to a stop on the track, Mercedes and Red Bull took advantage of the opportunity created by a virtual safety car to give Antonelli and Verstappen fresh tires. Russell was ordered by the team to stay out, as was Hamilton, who was far from driving a flawless race.

Kimi Antonelli(Bild: AFP/ANNA SZILAGYI)

Antonelli: “It was a little scary, ...”
An investigation into speeding under yellow flags had no consequences for Russell. However, his tires were so badly worn by the finish that Antonelli was right on his tail with four laps to go. During the local hero’s first attack, Russell braked a little too hard, forcing his rival into the gravel trap. “It was a little scary because the asphalt was starting to crack in that spot,” Antonelli said. “I thought I might have lost my chance, but we still managed to pull it off.”

No Hard Feelings from Russell
With three laps to go, the moment finally arrived: Antonelli passed his rival more or less effortlessly before the Ascari chicane. Russell didn’t blame the team for the strategy. “It was like rolling the dice. We didn’t know which one was better. It did make sense to split the strategy. In the end, Kimi just had great pace.”

Antonelli celebrated his seventh victory in the 13th race of the season and is well on his way to becoming the youngest F1 world champion in history. Ten championship races remain on the schedule. “There are still a few races to go; we have to keep our feet on the ground,” Antonelli cautioned. “But I’m enjoying the day right now.”

(Bild: EPA/ANNA SZILAGYI)

To top it all off, Antonelli set the fastest lap of the race in the closing stages. Mercedes celebrated a victory at Monza for the first time since 2018. Gasly, who had surprised everyone in 2020 with a victory at the “Temple of Speed” while driving for AlphaTauri, finished in seventh place—just ahead of Racing Bull driver Arvid Lindblad and his Alpine teammate Franco Colapinto. Liam Lawson, who was driving the second Red Bull as a replacement for the injured Isack Hadjar, did not score any World Championship points.

Ferrari’s Tribute to Schumacher
Ferrari competed with a special livery commemorating the legendary Michael Schumacher. The record-holding world champion had celebrated his first of a total of five Ferrari home victories at the Autodromo Nazionale in 1996. His compatriot and later Ferrari successor, Sebastian Vettel, thrilled the crowd before the race with a demonstration lap in Schumacher’s legendary Ferrari F2002, the car in which the German had dominated the World Championship 24 years ago.

The engine upgrade brought to Monza ultimately offered no added benefit to the Scuderia. The Italians must now pin their hopes for their third win of the season on the debut of the new street circuit on the outskirts of Madrid, where the Spanish Grand Prix will take place next Sunday.