Antonelli storms from 19th to win Italian Grand Prix at Monza

Mercedes' 19-year-old Italian driver Kimi Antonelli produced one of the great fightback drives in recent Formula 1 history at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix on September 6, winning the race at Monza after starting from 19th on the grid. It made him the first Italian driver to win in his home race at Monza in 60 years — since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966 — and instantly became one of the most talked-about motorsport stories of the week worldwide.

From 19th to the chequered flag

Antonelli was demoted to the back of the grid after Mercedes exceeded its seasonal quota of power-unit component changes, triggering an automatic penalty — despite his actual qualifying pace being far stronger. That meant he needed to pass 26 cars over the course of the race to take the lead, the biggest fightback from the back of the grid since 1983, when John Watson won from 22nd at Long Beach.

He climbed to 7th by lap 10, then continued picking off rivals one by one, eventually taking the lead from George Russell into Turn 1 on lap 18. The turning point came from a mid-race Virtual Safety Car, which let Antonelli pit for fresh medium tyres while Russell was stuck out on degrading hards — a strategic gap that proved decisive.

Illustrative: a banner commemorating past champions at Monza, the circuit that has hosted the Italian Grand Prix for decades

The closing laps were dramatic, with the two cars trading blows through the Curva Grande before Antonelli ran wide into the gravel at the first chicane on lap 49 — recovering immediately to complete a successful pass on Russell the following lap, between Lesmo 2 and the Ascari chicane. "It was quite scary there in the moment. The tarmac was breaking up but I still thought I could do the corner," Antonelli said afterwards of the risky move.

Why the win matters

Antonelli crossed the line in 1:51:15.281, 3.857 seconds ahead of George Russell, with Max Verstappen completing the podium 14.718 seconds back. It was a difficult day for home team Ferrari — Charles Leclerc crashed out early, while Lewis Hamilton finished only 6th.

The victory was Antonelli's seventh career win, making him the most successful Italian driver since Alberto Ascari, who won his last world title in 1953. It builds on records he already set earlier this season — becoming the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history at Shanghai (19 years, 6 months, 17 days old) and the second-youngest Grand Prix winner ever, behind only Max Verstappen.

In the drivers' championship, Antonelli now leads with 267 points, 66 clear of teammate George Russell on 201. Lewis Hamilton sits third on 191, ahead of Lando Norris (171) and Charles Leclerc (155). In the constructors' standings, Mercedes has pulled clear with 468 points, well ahead of Ferrari (346) and McLaren (287).

Reaction from the team

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff praised the drive to Sky Sports F1 after the race: "He kept his head down, took no risks at the beginning with the restart, and then one by one, one by one [passed his rivals]... an amazing drive," adding, "today there was nothing that would have stopped him," comparing the performance to the great drives of Lewis Hamilton in years past.

Antonelli himself said after taking the chequered flag: "Unbelievable! I am so happy and I could have never imagined to be here today. But we managed to pull it off and I'm really, really happy. It's a dream coming true."

A parallel story: Gasly's maiden pole

The race weekend produced another remarkable story. Alpine's Pierre Gasly delivered a stunning qualifying lap to claim his first-ever pole position after nine years in Formula 1, setting a time of 1m 21.786s to beat George Russell by just 0.060 seconds — at the very circuit where he won his first career race back in 2020.

"It's been nine years chasing it!" Gasly said of the achievement. Alpine's midfield car couldn't hold the pace over race distance, and Gasly finished 7th, but the team was still delighted with a result well beyond its usual pace this weekend.

Illustrative: an Alpine F1 car, the team Pierre Gasly drives for, who claimed his maiden pole position at Monza

What's next: the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid

Formula 1 now heads to the Spanish Grand Prix, held September 11-13, 2026, on a brand-new 5.47km street circuit in Madrid called "Madring," located near the IFEMA convention centre. It marks the first F1 race in the Madrid region in 45 years, since the Jarama circuit last hosted the Spanish Grand Prix in 1981.

With his championship lead now extended to 66 points, Antonelli heads into the new venue as the clear title favourite this season, while Mercedes holds a commanding lead in the constructors' standings. It remains to be seen whether rivals Ferrari and McLaren can adapt quickly at a circuit nobody has raced on before.

Illustrative: a Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 car, the team of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell

Key facts

• Race date: September 6, 2026, at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy
• Winner: Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), from 19th on the grid
• Records: First Italian winner at Monza in 60 years (since 1966); biggest fightback from the back of the grid since 1983
• Championship standings after the race: Antonelli 267, Russell 201, Hamilton 191
• Parallel story: Pierre Gasly claimed Alpine's first-ever pole position
• What's next: the Spanish Grand Prix on a new circuit in Madrid, September 11-13, 2026

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