Kimi Antonelli produced one of the most remarkable performances of his Formula 1 career by winning the Italian Grand Prix from 19th on the grid, completing a dramatic turnaround at the same circuit where he endured one of his toughest moments two years ago.
The Mercedes driver overcame a grid penalty and a seemingly impossible starting position to claim victory at Monza, beating team-mate George Russell and turning a difficult weekend into the biggest triumph of his career so far.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed that he had sensed Antonelli was capable of something special even before the race. Despite starting 17 places behind Russell, Wolff believed one of his drivers would finish on top of the podium.
“I thought one of the two is going to win,” Wolff said, explaining that Antonelli’s mindset and behaviour throughout the weekend convinced him that the young Italian was on a mission.
Antonelli’s race initially appeared to be about damage limitation after he started on the penultimate row because of a penalty for exceeding his permitted number of engines this season. A fifth- or sixth-place finish had been considered a realistic target.
But the 19-year-old quickly transformed those expectations.
He moved from 19th to 14th on the opening lap and climbed to 12th before Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari crash brought out the red flag. Following the restart, Antonelli surged through the field, reaching eighth and then seventh after passing Lando Norris.
His progress continued at remarkable speed. By lap 13, Antonelli had risen to third and was just 1.8 seconds behind race leader Max Verstappen. Three laps later, the Mercedes cars were running first and second.
Mercedes eventually split the strategies of its two drivers after a virtual safety car period, with Antonelli switching tyres while Russell remained on the harder compound.
The strategy left Antonelli 14.3 seconds behind Russell with 24 laps remaining and several cars separating them, but the Italian steadily closed the gap.
He caught Russell with five laps to go and, despite briefly running off the track while attempting an overtake, recovered to challenge again. A lap and a half later, he swept past Russell on the straight between the second Lesmo corner and Ascari to take control of the race.
The victory carried special significance for Antonelli because Monza had previously been the scene of a difficult moment in his career. Two years earlier, he crashed during a one-off free practice appearance at the circuit, an incident Wolff described as one of the toughest moments for the young driver and his family.
Wolff said Antonelli’s triumph represented a “circle” closing after that setback, noting that the same driver who had once faced widespread doubt had now achieved the biggest victory of his career.
Antonelli’s victory also strengthened his position in the championship battle. Russell finished second and now trails his team-mate by 66 points, acknowledging that overcoming the gap would be extremely difficult.
For Antonelli, however, the victory was about more than championship points. It was a breakthrough performance in front of his home crowd and came 60 years after an Italian last won the Italian Grand Prix.
“It’s one that I will remember forever,” Antonelli said, crediting the support from the home fans for giving him an additional push throughout the race.
Wolff believes Antonelli’s ability to progress rapidly and learn from difficult experiences has been central to his rise, describing the youngster’s development as remarkably fast.
The Monza triumph now stands as a defining moment in Antonelli’s young Formula 1 career, turning a race that began with him near the back of the grid into an unforgettable home victory.
