After 26 overtakes, Kimi Antonelli is Italy’s new sporting hero

Kimi Antonelli’s Monza coup has turned him into the new favorite of Italy’s Tifosi. Starting from 19th, the Italian produced a comeback that changed how many people see him and placed his drive among Formula One’s enduring statistics.

Before Sunday’s race, Antonelli was widely regarded as a major motorsport talent. He also appeared to have a chance of winning a very early world title in his Formula One career. Monza altered that perception. His recovery through the field became the kind of performance that stays in the memory and creates new expectations.

The scale of the comeback is reflected in the number of overtakes: 26. That achievement has given Antonelli substantial momentum in the championship and made the Monza result more than just another victory. It now stands as a defining moment in the early part of his career.

Recognition has also come from his teammate. The praise carries unusual weight because it sounds almost like an admission of defeat. For Italian fans, meanwhile, Antonelli’s performance has made him a new sporting hero after a race that entered Formula One’s record books.