How Antonelli Won His Home Race From the Back
Kimi Antonelli started the 2026 Italian Grand Prix from 19th place. He finished first.
He came into Monza with a 59-point championship lead, but Mercedes opted for a full power unit change, dropping their title leader to the back of the grid. His rivals had been waiting for exactly this kind of weekend.
They didn’t get what they came for.
First Turn Drama
Pierre Gasly started from pole, his first in Formula 1, at the same circuit where he won his maiden race back in 2020. Russell went ahead of Gasly early. Then Leclerc squeezed Hamilton at the chicane, put him on the gravel, and sent him down to 10th. On the very next lap, Leclerc spun at the Parabolica and hit the barrier hard. Red flag. He walked away fine. Standing restart.
At the restart, Russell led from Gasly and Franco Colapinto. Antonelli was in sixth. He kept his head down and his tyres alive.
Antonelli pitted under the Virtual Safety Car when Lance Stroll retired. Russell didn’t. That call decided the race. By Lap 18, Antonelli was behind his teammate, on fresh rubber, closing. Russell had nothing left in his tyres to defend with. Antonelli went through.
He made a couple of errors getting there, a lockup at the first chicane, a close call with Russell toward the end. But he held it together when it mattered.
Russell second. Verstappen third.
First Italian at Monza Since 1966
Antonelli turned 20 before the race. He’s now the first Italian to win at Monza in 60 years, and he did it from P19.
When the flag dropped, the crowd poured onto the circuit the way they always do at Monza. “Volare” played in the pit lane. It was a proper Sunday afternoon at the Temple of Speed.
Ferrari, marking the 30th anniversary of Schumacher’s first win with them at Monza, had a miserable weekend. Hamilton crossed the line in sixth. Leclerc was out by Lap 3.
Where the Championship Sits
Antonelli came in compromised. He left with 66 points on the board over his nearest rival. He extended his lead despite starting last.
There’s a version of the day where Russell takes the win, closes the gap, and the title fight gets interesting again. That didn’t happen. Antonelli was patient where Russell was exposed, and sharp where the race needed him to be.
The season isn’t done. But it’s harder to close a gap on someone who keeps widening it under pressure.
