F1: Antonelli wins at Monza ahead of Russell and Verstappen

Kimi Antonelli produced a historic victory at Monza, winning the Italian Grand Prix for Mercedes after starting from the back of the grid. George Russell finished second for Mercedes, while Max Verstappen took third with Red Bull.

The result made Antonelli the first Italian to win at Monza in 60 years. The previous Italian winner was Ludovico Scarfiotti, who took the race for Ferrari in 1966. Behind the podium finishers, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completed the top five. Lewis Hamilton finished sixth for Ferrari.

Ferrari was left with only one car at the finish after Charles Leclerc crashed on the third lap. Leclerc went straight through a corner and hit the protective barriers at the Parabolica, reportedly at about 200 kilometers per hour. He climbed out of the car unaided but appeared shaken and went to the medical center for checks. Race officials brought out the red flag and suspended the event while workers repaired the barriers.

Leclerc had started third and made contact with Hamilton’s Ferrari at the opening start, sending Hamilton down several positions. Gasly began from pole for Alpine, ahead of Russell and the Ferraris, while Antonelli set out on his long recovery. After the restart, Antonelli reached the lead by the 18th lap, later dropped behind Russell during the pit-stop sequence, and regained first place from the 50th lap onward.

Race officials investigated Russell for a possible yellow-flag violation but imposed no penalty. The event also attracted a large celebrity crowd, with the description highlighting appearances by Jannik Sinner, John Elkann and Giorgio Chiellini.