Kimi Antonelli staged a memorable comeback at Monza, he started 19th, took the lead in the second half of the race and secured his seventh victory of 2026 in front of his home crowd. Russell finished second and Verstappen third.
Kimi Antonelli wrote one of the most important chapters of his season at the Italian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver turned a completely adverse situation into an unforgettable victory, he started the race from nineteenth position due to his engine penalty and ended up crossing the finish line in first place. In front of the Italian public and at the Monza circuit, the championship leader secured his seventh win of the year and once again demonstrated why Mercedes has control of the title fight in its hands.
The race began with Pierre Gasly defending the pole position he had secured on Saturday. The Frenchman had a good start and initially managed to maintain first position, while George Russell immediately looked for the opportunity to attack. Behind them, Ferrari had a complicated start. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were involved in a very tight maneuver at the first chicane, with the Briton forced off track and losing several positions. Hamilton was tenth at the end of the first lap, an unexpected situation after the good performance he had shown during practice.
Russell did not take long to take advantage of his pace. On the second lap he managed to overtake Gasly and took the lead, but the situation would change again moments later.
On the third lap came one of the most dramatic moments of the Grand Prix. Leclerc suffered a heavy crash while fighting in the top positions and ended up violently hitting the barriers. The Ferrari was seriously damaged and Race Control had to stop the competition with a red flag to allow the barriers to be repaired. Fortunately, the Monegasque driver was able to get out on his own and was declared fit after medical checks.
The restart was not easy either. The drivers had to complete an additional formation lap because Yuki Tsunoda was incorrectly positioned in his starting box. Once the race finally resumed, Franco Colapinto also suffered a spin that completely changed his situation, the Argentine had reached third position, but the error dropped him to sixteenth place.
While the protagonists of the top positions tried to rebuild their races, Antonelli advanced steadily. The local driver had started practically from the back of the grid, but his Mercedes allowed him to recover positions lap after lap. Without needing to take unnecessary risks, the Italian progressively got closer to the leaders until he became a real threat to victory.
The race entered one of its decisive moments on lap 26. Lance Stroll suffered a hydraulic problem and stopped, causing a yellow flag and subsequently a Virtual Safety Car. The neutralization opened a fundamental strategic window and was taken advantage of by Antonelli and Max Verstappen to make their pit stops and change tires with less time loss than their rivals.
That moment ended up being decisive for the outcome. Antonelli found himself in an increasingly favorable position and began to reduce the gap to Russell, who had led much of the race. The Briton also came under observation for a possible overtaking during a yellow flag sector, although the situation ultimately did not lead to an investigation by the stewards.
The tension within Mercedes reached its peak in the final laps. On lap 49, the two drivers came very close to having an incident between teammates while Antonelli was definitively looking for first position. One lap later, the Italian managed to complete the overtake and take the lead. From there, the defense of a victory that had seemed impossible when the lights went out began.
Russell finished second and completed another one two for Mercedes, although this time with Antonelli ahead. Max Verstappen took the third step of the podium and managed to stay among the protagonists after a race in which strategy and tire wear played a fundamental role.
The fight did not end there. In the positions behind, the two McLarens engaged in an intense battle for fourth and fifth place. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were on the limit during the final laps, with maneuvers that at times were close to causing contact between the teammates. The fight confirmed the pace of both McLarens, although without chances of reaching the Mercedes and Verstappen for the podium.
For Antonelli, the result has a special dimension. Not only did he achieve his seventh victory of the season, but he did it in his home race, in front of an Italian crowd that followed every one of his overtakes. The win also allows him to extend his lead at the front of the championship, just as the season enters an increasingly decisive stage.
Monza ended up offering a race very different from what could have been imagined after a qualifying session in which Gasly had achieved a surprising pole. There were lead changes, overtakes, a red flag, strategies conditioned by the Virtual Safety Car and an internal battle at Mercedes that lasted until the final laps.
But above all, one image remained, Kimi Antonelli starting from 19th place and reaching victory at Monza. On the circuit where Italy expected a great performance from its young leader, the Mercedes driver responded with a comeback that could remain as one of the great moments of the 2026 season.
