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Kimi Antonelli pulled off an incredible comeback at Monza on Sunday, going from 19th on the grid to win the Italian Grand Prix and become the first Italian to win his home race in 60 years.
The Mercedes driver started at the back after taking a grid penalty for exceeding the permitted number of power-unit changes. But he quickly worked his way through the field, reaching 12th before the race was stopped following a crash involving Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Leclerc lost control at the exit of the Parabolica on lap two and hit the barriers. He was able to walk away from the crash, but the incident brought out the red flag and gave the drivers an opportunity to change tyres.
George Russell led the restart after passing pole-sitter Pierre Gasly before the stoppage. Antonelli, meanwhile, continued moving forward and was up to sixth after making several overtakes.
By lap 18, Antonelli had reached the front and moved ahead of his Mercedes teammate. Russell fought back, with the two drivers trading the lead several times as they battled for position.
The race eventually turned in Antonelli's favour when a Virtual Safety Car was called after Lance Stroll's Aston Martin stopped on track. Antonelli pitted for fresh medium tyres, while Russell stayed out on his older hard tyres.
That decision became increasingly important in the closing stages. Russell's tyres began to lose performance, allowing Antonelli to close the gap after spending much of the race chasing his teammate.
The two Mercedes drivers went wheel-to-wheel again on lap 49, with Antonelli briefly running through the gravel during the fight. He tried again a lap later and this time completed the pass, moving into the lead with only three laps remaining.
Antonelli held on to take his seventh win of the season, with Russell finishing second and Max Verstappen taking third.
"Unbelievable!" Antonelli said after the race. "I'm so happy, I could never have imagined being here today, but we pulled it off."
Lando Norris finished fourth ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, while Lewis Hamilton was sixth after starting on the second row alongside Leclerc. Gasly recovered from his surprise pole position to finish seventh, followed by Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad, Franco Colapinto and Yuki Tsunoda.
The victory was a landmark moment for Antonelli, who grew up in nearby Emilia-Romagna. He is now also looking to become Italy's first Formula 1 world champion since Ferrari legend Alberto Ascari won the title in 1953.
