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Kimi Antonelli produced a remarkable recovery at Monza, climbing from 19th on the grid to win a red-flagged Italian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver’s victory was shaped by a chaotic opening, a perfectly timed recovery drive and a late fight with team-mate George Russell.
Russell led large portions of the race but ultimately had to settle for second as his tyres degraded in the closing laps. Max Verstappen completed the podium, ahead of the McLarens, while Lewis Hamilton finished sixth. Polesitter Pierre Gasly ended the race seventh.
The result completed a dramatic Monza weekend for Antonelli after he had been forced to start from the back. His drive also followed the attacking approach outlined in Antonelli’s pre-race reaction to his Monza penalty.
Gasly and Russell began on the front row with new medium tyres, while Charles Leclerc, Hamilton and Verstappen selected new softs. Russell and Gasly made the best starts, but Hamilton’s attempt to pass Leclerc at the first corner ended with the Ferrari forcing him onto the gravel. Hamilton dropped to 10th and immediately complained over the radio.
Ferrari’s difficult opening continued when Verstappen passed Leclerc on the following lap. Under pressure from Oscar Piastri, Leclerc took a different line into Parabolica at the end of lap two. He ran wide, touched the drain outside the white line and was sent into the wall at high speed.
The accident initially brought out the safety car before the race was red-flagged. Barrier repairs and car recovery caused a 30-minute stoppage. Before the interruption, Russell had taken the lead from Gasly, leaving him on pole for the restart. Antonelli, meanwhile, had already climbed to 12th.
The red flag allowed the entire field to change tyres. Russell, Gasly, Franco Colapinto and the McLarens chose new hards, while Verstappen, Hamilton and Antonelli took new mediums. After an aborted restart caused by Yuki Tsunoda being out of position, racing resumed on lap six.
Antonelli surged to sixth by lap seven and continued to gain ground. He passed Hamilton and then a McLaren for third, while the lead changed repeatedly between Russell and Verstappen. A virtual safety car on lap 29, caused by Lance Stroll stopping at the first corner, gave Antonelli and Verstappen an opportunity to pit.
Antonelli rejoined sixth but was back to second by lap 37, only nine seconds behind Russell. With 10 laps remaining, Russell’s advantage was 5.5 seconds, but his tyres began to fade. Antonelli’s first passing attempt on lap 49 ended in the gravel; the second, one lap later, succeeded.
Russell had no answer on the worn rubber. Antonelli then pulled clear to seal an emotional home victory.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.