Kimi Antonelli produced a stunning drive at Monza on Sunday to win the Italian Grand Prix from 19th on the grid and become the first Italian driver in 60 years to win his home race.
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver overcame an engine-related grid penalty to claim his seventh victory of the 2026 season, extending his championship lead over teammate George Russell to 66 points.
But Antonelli’s remarkable comeback was only one part of a dramatic afternoon at the Temple of Speed.
The race began with Pierre Gasly at the front after the Alpine driver stunned the field by taking his first-ever Formula 1 pole position in qualifying. Gasly held off Russell by just 0.060 seconds, with Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc completing the second row. Meanwhile, Antonelli had qualified seventh but dropped to 19th after taking a grid penalty for a power-unit change.
Gasly’s hopes of turning his surprise pole into an even bigger result disappeared as the race progressed. Although he initially remained among the leader, he eventually finished seventh behind both McLarens, Verstappen and Hamilton.
For Ferrari, however, the home race quickly turned into a nightmare.
Leclerc started fourth and made an aggressive start, while teammate Lewis Hamilton found himself pushed wide at the opening corner. The seven-time world champion dropped down the order before beginning his recovery.
Leclerc’s race ended dramatically on the second lap. Under pressure from Piastri, the Ferrari driver lost control at the Parabolica after running onto the white line and crashed heavily into the barriers. The accident brought out the red flag, with Leclerc able to walk away from the wreckage after a medical check. The race was stopped for around half an hour while the barriers were repaired.
The restart gave Russell the opportunity to control the race while Antonelli continued his charge through the field.
The Italian steadily picked off rivals, eventually moving into contention for the podium and then the victory. Mercedes’ alternative tyre strategy proved decisive, with Antonelli’s fresher medium tyres giving him significantly more pace in the closing stages.
Russell had led much of the race, but his ageing tyres left him increasingly vulnerable. With only a few laps remaining, Antonelli caught his teammate and launched his attack.
The battle between the two Mercedes drivers provided the defining moment of the race. Antonelli briefly ran into the gravel while fighting Russell, but managed to recover and continue the attack. He eventually completed the decisive move and pulled clear to take a famous home victory.
Russell crossed the line second, 3.857 seconds behind his teammate, while Max Verstappen completed the podium for Red Bull. The Dutchman had spent much of the race battling the Mercedes and ultimately secured his fifth podium of the season.
Behind them, McLaren’s Lando Norris finished fourth, narrowly ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri. The result saw both McLaren drivers score strong points, although neither could match the pace of the Mercedes cars in the final stages.
Hamilton finished sixth and was the only Ferrari driver to see the chequered flag. After his early off-track excursion and Leclerc’s retirement, Ferrari were left without a podium at their biggest home race, a particularly painful result for the thousands of Tifosi packed into Monza.
Gasly followed in seventh, while Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad produced an impressive eighth-place finish. Alpine’s Franco Colapinto took ninth, with Yuki Tsunoda completing the top ten for Red Bull.
Further down the field, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto finished 11th, narrowly missing out on points, while Nico Hülkenberg followed in 12th. Carlos Sainz, Liam Lawson and Oliver Bearman rounded out the next three positions.
Aston Martin endured an especially difficult afternoon, with both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll retiring from the race.
The 2026 Italian Grand Prix race results
Away from the racing, Monza also hosted an emotional tribute to one of Ferrari’s greatest legends. Sebastian Vettel took Michael Schumacher’s iconic Ferrari F2002 out on track, driving the car in front of the Italian crowd as part of a tribute to the seven-time world champion. The sight of Vettel behind the wheel of one of Schumacher’s most famous Ferraris provided one of the weekend’s most nostalgic moments.
But it was another driver who ultimately owned the day.
Antonelli’s seventh win of 2026 leaves him firmly in control of the championship as he matches teammate Russell’s seven career wins, in a single season.
From 19th to first, in front of the Tifosi, Antonelli has turned Monza into a piece of Italian sporting history.
