On a weekend at Monza that had already produced a surprising outcome in qualifying, Italy's rising star Kimi Antonelli added a second astonishing chapter with his performance in Sunday's race, securing a place for himself in Formula 1 lore. Unlike the unexpected pole sitter Pierre Gasly—who, after 190 Grand Prix starts mostly in midfield machinery, had never before led an F1 grid—20‑year‑old Antonelli has become a regular front‑row contender this season. Sunday marked the seventh win for the Mercedes driver in an increasingly impressive Formula 1 career and extended his championship advantage from 59 points to a joint season‑high of 66 points.
What makes the achievement even more remarkable is that Antonelli started from the 19th position, the second‑lowest grid slot ever to produce a victory in the sport's 76‑year history, and he beat his teammate and chief title rival George Russell, who had started from the front row. The win was therefore far from a routine triumph.
Adding a further layer of significance, Antonelli ended a six‑decade drought for an Italian driver winning his home Grand Prix. The dramatic Monza comeback prompted veteran commentator Martin Brundle, who has raced against and narrated the careers of many of the sport's legends, to dub the young Italian "King Kimi." Sky Sports F1 analyst and 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg was equally effusive after watching Antonelli's masterclass. "The race he ran, the first lap, the second start—everything was flawless," Rosberg said.
"The speed, the way he managed the car—no one could have done it better. He's in his second F1 season, just turned 20, and he pulls off a performance like that? It's unheard of!" Rosberg had been among the pundits who, before the race, doubted a podium finish was within Antonelli's reach from the penultimate row.
The Italian himself had dismissed those doubts after qualifying, insisting he could still contend for a top result. Even Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted he did not expect such a dramatic finish. "I thought one of our two drivers would win," Wolff said after the checkered flag.
"Either George, because he was on pole for the restart, or Kimi, because he was going to walk on water at Monza. I felt that yesterday as well." Wolff, who worked alongside Lewis Hamilton for six of the Briton's seven titles, sensed a special moment brewing for Antonelli on his home turf. "It had been a while since I saw a driver with that level of energy, mindset and behaviour.
I knew his mission today was to win," Wolff explained. "I spoke with his father yesterday, and his dad felt the same. These are the moments when you can see a weekend shaping itself into something extraordinary.
Of course, it's still a mechanical sport, so things can change in an instant." Like any great comeback story, Antonelli's victory involved a dose of luck. The race was red‑flagged after Charles Leclerc crashed heavily on lap two, giving Antonelli a second chance to climb the order more quickly than a normal race would have allowed. The interruption, however, disrupted Mercedes' original plan to run Antonelli on a long stint of hard tyres.
When the race restarted, Antonelli was already in 12th place. He gained four positions on the restart lap, and by lap 13 he was directly behind Russell in third. After Pierre Gasly's early challenge faded, the two Mercedes drivers began swapping the lead from lap 16 onward in a battle that resembled a lap‑by‑lap chess match. Eventually Antonelli settled into second place as the duel steadied.
A well‑timed Virtual Safety Car later gave him the opportunity to pit for fresh medium tyres, while Russell elected to stay out on older hard compounds, hoping to stretch his stint to the finish. Wolff later admitted that at the time it was unclear which strategy would prove decisive.
In the end, Wolff believes it was Antonelli's overtaking skill in traffic that tipped the scales. "The differentiator today was his ability to move through traffic," Wolff said. "We've seen that with great drivers before—Lewis did it in several races, and Kimi showed the same quality today. When a driver and a car become one, nothing can stop them." Reflecting on his performance, Antonelli said he woke up on Sunday feeling mentally strong and confident that a podium was within reach.
"After the red flag I was already P12 and got another start," he recalled. "A few laps later I was in the top five and realized I could fight for the win. It was tough to break away, but we managed to pull it off and bring it home." The Italian's triumph not only broke a 60‑year Italian drought at Monza but also highlighted the growing depth of talent in the sport.
As the F1 calendar moves on, the next challenge awaits in Madrid, where the brand‑new Madring circuit will host the Spanish Grand Prix. All sessions will be broadcast live from Friday on Sky Sports F1, and fans can stream via NOW with a flexible, cancel‑anytime subscription.