+34Kimi Antonelli started 19th and won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza after overtaking George Russell with three laps left. He became the first Italian winner at the circuit in 60 years and extended his championship lead.
Kimi Antonelli produced a stunning comeback to win the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, passing Mercedes team-mate George Russell with three laps remaining. The Italian started from 19th on the grid and crossed the line 3.8 seconds clear of Russell.
He extended his championship lead from 59 points to 66. The victory ended a 60-year wait for an Italian winner at Monza. Antonelli followed in the footsteps of Ferrari's Ludovico Scarfiotti, whose 1966 success came just after England won the World Cup. Monza's famous Temple of Speed had not seen a home driver take the top step since then.
Antonelli began the race as the home favourite but was pushed down the order by a grid penalty. Russell, by contrast, started second and sat 17 places ahead of his team-mate. Antonelli's recovery was built on a favourable strategy, an explosive new engine and a display of passing excellence. The deciding battle started late and almost ended in disaster.
On lap 49 of 53, Antonelli tried to snatch the lead from Russell at the Variante del Rettifilo and ran through the gravel.
'What the f*** happened there,' he said after dropping 1.7 seconds behind Russell. Antonelli kept his composure and used his superior tyres to close back onto Russell's gearbox. On the following lap, he attacked again and swept past his wounded team-mate into the Variante Ascari. With three laps left, Antonelli was in front and he controlled the final stages.
The result was a seismic blow to Russell's hopes of taking the world championship. Antonelli's late overtake was the decisive moment of the race. Russell had started the fixture 17 places ahead of his team-mate but could not hold off the charge when it mattered. Max Verstappen finished third, one place ahead of world champion Lando Norris.
Oscar Piastri took fifth, while Lewis Hamilton ended sixth on a difficult day for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc had crashed out at 160mph on the second lap, leaving the Scuderia with little to celebrate at home. Antonelli's final margin over Russell was 3.8 seconds after a tense and fast-moving contest. His charge through the field from 19th place will be remembered as one of Monza's great victories.
For Mercedes, the result was a commanding one-two finish, but for Russell the timing hurt in the title fight. Antonelli showed he could handle pressure, recovering from his gravel moment to make the decisive pass. He also demonstrated the passing excellence required to climb from 19th to the front of a 53-lap race. The win strengthened his position at the top of the standings and damaged Russell's challenge.
KIMI ANTONELLI George Russell Italian Grand Prix Mercedes F1 Kimi Antonelli Monza Formula One
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