F1: Kimi Antonelli feels the home crowd’s heat and strengthens his lead with a comeback

Kimi Antonelli turned a penalty and a 19th-place starting position into a dream victory at Monza. The 20-year-old Italian passed Mercedes teammate George Russell four laps from the finish to win his home Grand Prix and strengthen his hold on the Formula 1 championship.

"I didn't expect it, thank you all for the support. It's incredible, I'm very happy, I never would have imagined it. A dream come true," Antonelli said over team radio immediately after the win. It was his seventh victory of the season and his first at the Italian Grand Prix.

“

I didn't expect it, thank you all for the support. It's incredible, I'm very happy, I never would have imagined it. A dream come true.

Antonelli now leads the championship with 267 points, 66 more than Russell, who finished second. Max Verstappen completed the podium for Red Bull, ahead of McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Antonelli had started from the back of the grid after receiving a penalty for changing his engine, but moved into the lead after 18 laps.

“

I don't want to look at the standings. We have seen in some seasons that things can change very quickly. There is no point thinking about the title, I will go race by race and try to maximize the results, and we will see where I finish at the end of the season.

A virtual safety car on lap 29 gave him a favorable chance to change tires while Russell stayed on track. Antonelli then erased a 15-second deficit before making a successful pass after an earlier failed attempt on lap 49. He became the first Italian to win his home Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.

Ferrari suffered a painful result in front of its tifosi. Hamilton finished sixth, while Leclerc crashed on lap three after being overtaken by Verstappen and trying to keep Piastri behind him. The Ferrari hit the wall at the Parabolica, forcing a 40-minute stoppage for repairs. Leclerc escaped the car on his own but said he had briefly struggled to see with his right eye. "It hurts emotionally to return from Monza with zero points," he told Canal+.

“

It was quite intense. I was a little scared about my vision because, when I got out of the car, I couldn't see very well with my right eye. But it has passed now. It hurts emotionally to return from Monza with zero points.