By Khris Bharath – September 06, 2026
Kimi Antonelli Charges From 19th to Become First Italian Since 1966 to Win the Italian Grand Prix
Mercedes F1 driver Kimi Antonelli charged from 19th on the grid to victory at the Temple of Speed, becoming the first Italian to win his home Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti drove a Ferrari to victory at Monza in 1966. Scarfiotti won that race ahead of Ferrari teammate Mike Parkes, but no Italian has repeated the achievement in the six decades since. Antonelli could hardly have started Sunday’s race from a more difficult position. Power unit penalties dropped the championship leader to 19th, while Pierre Gasly started from a surprise pole alongside George Russell. Antonelli immediately began working his way forward, reaching 12th before Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc’s early crash on Lap 2 brought out the red flag. View this post on Instagram A post shared by FORMULA 1® (@f1) Once racing resumed, the Mercedes driver continued his charge. He quickly moved into the top 10, passed McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and then Lewis Hamilton, and was up to fourth before passing Max Verstappen on Lap 16. Just two laps later, he was fighting teammate George Russell for the lead. On Lap 18, Antonelli completed his charge from the back by taking first place into Turn 1. What followed was a fierce wheel-to-wheel battle between the two Mercedes drivers, with Russell and Antonelli repeatedly trading the advantage through Monza's chicanes. At a circuit defined by immense speed, slipstreaming and heavy braking, the pair put on a show worthy of the occasion. A Virtual Safety Car around lap 29 later reshuffled the order. Mercedes split its strategies, leaving Russell out on used hard tires while Antonelli stopped for a fresh set of mediums, dropping the Italian back to sixth. Antonelli responded by carving his way through the field once again, passing Hamilton and Piastri as he closed back in on his teammate. There was one final scare on lap 49, when Antonelli ran through the gravel while attacking Russell with five laps remaining. He recovered, caught the Mercedes again and made the decisive pass on lap 50 with just three laps to go. From there, Antonelli pulled clear and crossed the chequered flag, with Russell completing a Mercedes one-two and Max Verstappen taking third. The victory adds another historic achievement to Antonelli's rapidly growing resume. During his rookie season in 2025, Antonelli broke Sebastian Vettel's record to become the youngest driver to claim pole position in any Formula 1 format, taking Sprint pole in Miami at just 18 years, eight months and seven days old. His Monza triumph, the seventh victory of his 2026 campaign, also strengthens his grip on the championship after Round 13. F1 heads to Spain next, with Antonelli leading with 267 points, 66 clear of Russell on 201, while Lewis Hamilton sits third with 191. Mercedes also leads the Constructors' standings with 468 points, ahead of Ferrari on 346 and McLaren on 287. Images: Formula 1