Kimi Antonelli made a significant leap toward becoming the youngest champion in Formula 1 history with an astonishing comeback at his home grand prix on Sunday.
Starting from 19th position on the grid, Antonelli surged to victory at the Italian Grand Prix, needing less than 17 laps to reach the front of the pack.
The remainder of the race saw him battling with teammate and championship contender George Russell for the lead. Antonelli overtook him for the last time with just three laps to go, marking the first Italian win at Monza in six decades.
“Oh my God … It feels like a dream,” Antonelli exclaimed on team radio upon crossing the finish line.
‘Unbelievable, unbelievable’
“I did not expect this,” Antonelli later stated. “Unbelievable, unbelievable. I am so thrilled; I never imagined being here today, but we made it happen, and I am truly, really happy.”
This victory was the second furthest back anyone has come to win a grand prix, with John Watson having won at Long Beach in 1983 after starting from 22nd position.
“The best race is still to come. However, I think this has been one of my best races so far and one that I will remember for a lifetime,” said the 20-year-old Antonelli, who is currently in his second season in F1.
Antonelli’s victory at least provided the audience with something to celebrate after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed out early in the Scuderia’s home race. Lewis Hamilton, in the other Ferrari, finished in sixth place.
Max Verstappen finished a distant third, trailing the two Mercedes drivers, while McLaren’s defending champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri followed closely behind.
This marked Antonelli’s seventh win of the season, as well as his fledgling F1 career, extending his lead in the overall standings to 66 points ahead of Russell.
Russell had aimed to gain some ground in the championship race, especially since his teammate incurred a substantial grid penalty at Monza after Mercedes decided to change his car’s power unit.
“Kimi is in control, and he deserves to be,” Russell commented regarding the title race. “For me personally, I’m not even considering a fight or a comeback or anything.”
“He’s performing exceptionally well. Overcoming that gap is going to be extremely difficult, so I’m just accepting the situation as it is.”
Fans in tears
Russell began Sunday’s grand prix in second place and managed to pull ahead of surprising polesitter Pierre Gasly at the start of the second lap.
Shortly thereafter, the race was halted with a red flag when Leclerc lost control exiting Parabolica at the end of Lap 2 and crashed into the barriers at high speed. He exited his vehicle and sat down near the track, appearing devastated.
The sea of passionate, red-clad tifosi around the circuit mirrored his despair, with many fans visibly in tears.
By that time, Antonelli had already climbed to 12th position and— as he later confessed— began to believe in the possibility of victory. Once the race resumed, he continued to carve his way through the field, overtaking cars one by one until he was left with Russell in front of him.
No yo-yo
The Mercedes duo received instructions from their team as they exchanged the lead, urging them to create a gap over Verstappen before contending for the win.
Antonelli pitted under the virtual safety car on lap 29, while Russell opted to stay out. Antonelli emerged in sixth place but, equipped with fresh tires, began to catch up to Russell for the second time in the race.
“To be honest, I thought we would both stay out,” Russell admitted. “I was surprised to see him pit.”
“Ultimately, it was a gamble for both strategies. In that moment, the team likely didn’t know which option was better, so splitting the strategy made sense. In the end, Kimi had fantastic pace.”
Antonelli seemed to jeopardize his chances for a remarkable comeback win when he ran through the gravel while attempting to pass Russell on Lap 49. However, due to his speed, he quickly closed the gap that had formed and overtook him the very next lap.