Kimi Antonelli won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza after driving from 19th on the grid to take his seventh victory of the season and strengthen his position at the top of the championship standings.
The 20-year-old Italian Mercedes driver completed 26 overtakes and reached the front in fewer than 17 laps. He then closed a 15 second gap to his teammate George Russell, who finished second, 3.857 seconds behind Antonelli. Max Verstappen took third place.
Antonelli’s victory at his home race made him the first domestic winner of the Italian Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966. It was his first win in the event.
Russell had held an advantage before a mid-race Virtual Safety Car period, when Antonelli’s team used the interruption to fit fresh Medium tyres. Russell’s team opted against bringing him in during the same VSC period, leaving him on a different strategy as the race developed.
With fresher tyres, Antonelli reduced the gap to Russell and passed him on the straight between the second Lesmo corner and Ascari. He passed Russell for the final time with three laps remaining, completing a recovery that began deep in the field.
The result extended Antonelli’s lead in the overall standings to 66 points ahead of Russell. Russell’s second-place finish preserved points, though the gap leaves his title hopes severely damaged with Antonelli already holding seven wins this season.
Toto Wolff said he had seen Antonelli’s victory coming on Saturday. The Italian driver’s performance combined rapid progress through the field with the strategic advantage gained during the Virtual Safety Car period, turning his home grand prix into a significant result in the championship battle.
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