The Emirates News Agency reported that Kimi Antonelli produced a stunning drive from 19th on the grid to win the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Sunday as Mercedes secured a one-two result with George Russell finishing second. Antonelli passed his teammate with three laps to go after benefiting from a virtual safety car pit stop that allowed him to close a significant gap on fresher tyres. This performance marked the first Italian winner at the circuit since Ludovico Scarfiotti achieved the feat in 1966 according to BBC Sport data.
Official Formula 1 results show that Antonelli completed the 53 laps in a time of one hour 51 minutes and 15.281 seconds finishing 3.857 seconds ahead of Russell with Max Verstappen claiming third place for Red Bull. Lando Norris finished fourth for McLaren ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri in fifth while Lewis Hamilton ended sixth for Ferrari. The win represented Antonelli’s seventh victory of the 2026 season and extended his championship advantage over Russell to 66 points Sky Sports figures show.
BBC Sport reported that Antonelli had advanced into the top five within 10 laps of the start despite his back-of-the-grid position following power unit penalties. The race was red-flagged early after Charles Leclerc crashed heavily at the Parabolica corner while Pierre Gasly who had taken pole position for Alpine slipped to seventh at the finish. Antonelli said I did not expect. Unbelievable. I am so happy I could never imagine being here today.
The race featured multiple overtakes and strategic calls that defined the outcome with Antonelli choosing to pit under the virtual safety car while Russell remained on older tyres until later. Verstappen maintained third place throughout the latter stages as the McLaren duo finished close behind in fourth and fifth. Several drivers retired including Leclerc Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll according to the complete results published by Formula One Management.
Al Jazeera noted that the victory made Antonelli the most successful Italian Formula 1 driver since Alberto Ascari in 1953 while also representing the 50th Italian win in grand prix history. Russell who started second and led for much of the race congratulated his teammate after the finish describing the result as incredible. The Mercedes one-two has strengthened the team’s position in the constructors’ standings as the season enters its final phase.
Sky Sports reported that the passionate Monza crowd which traditionally supports Ferrari rose to applaud Antonelli as he crossed the line in his Mercedes car. The event was incident-packed with a number of battles throughout the field that produced the final order including Yuki Tsunoda in 10th for Racing Bulls and Gabriel Bortoleto in 11th for Audi. This outcome leaves Antonelli firmly in control of the drivers’ championship with four races remaining according to updated standings from the FIA.
