Antonelli conquers Monza and heads to Madrid with half the world title in his pocket

Andrea Kimi Antonelli produced one of Formula One’s great comebacks at Monza, climbing from 19th on the grid to win the Italian Grand Prix in front of his home crowd.

The 20-year-old Mercedes driver claimed his seventh victory of the season and finished ahead of teammate George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. The result leaves him firmly at the top of the championship with 267 points, 66 more than Russell and 76 ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Antonelli’s victory carried a special meaning for Italy. He became the first Italian to win the country’s Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti did so for Ferrari in 1966. The race took place at Monza, Ferrari’s traditional stronghold and a fixture on the Formula One calendar since its creation in 1950, apart from 1980, when the event was held at Imola.

The comeback ranked as the second-largest charge to victory in Formula One history, behind John Watson’s rise from 22nd to first at the 1983 United States Grand Prix West in Long Beach. In that race, second-place finisher Niki Lauda also gained 21 positions.

Lando Norris finished fourth, ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc caused an accident that brought out the red flag. Lewis Hamilton finished sixth, Pierre Gasly seventh and Swedish-British debutant Arvid Lindblad eighth. Argentina’s Franco Colapinto finished ninth, Carlos Sainz was 13th, Sergio Pérez 18th and Fernando Alonso retired.