F1: Antonelli makes history by starting from the back and winning at Monza

Kimi Antonelli produced a historic comeback at Monza, winning the Italian Grand Prix after starting from the back of the grid. The Mercedes driver, who leads the world championship, finished ahead of teammate George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

The result ended a 60-year wait for an Italian winner at Monza. Before Antonelli, the last Italian to take the race was Ludovico Scarfiotti, who won for Ferrari in 1966.

Antonelli climbed from 20th to the lead on lap 18, moving ahead of Russell and Verstappen. Russell later regained first place, but Antonelli passed Oscar Piastri on lap 37 to move into second. He took the lead again from lap 50 and held it to the finish. Russell escaped a stewards’ investigation over a yellow-flag violation without a penalty.

Verstappen finished third, followed by McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Piastri. Lewis Hamilton came sixth for Ferrari, the only Ferrari to reach the finish after Charles Leclerc’s crash.

Leclerc, who started third, made contact with Hamilton at the start and then went straight through a corner on the third lap, hitting the protective barriers at the Parabolica. He climbed out of the car unaided but appeared shaken and was taken to the medical center for checks. The crash brought out the red flag and suspended the race for about 30 minutes while officials repaired the barriers. The race then restarted with a second grid start after two formation laps.