Kimi Antonelli produced a supreme drive to win the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, rising from 19th on the grid to take a statement victory that dealt a heavy blow to George Russell's title hopes.
Toto Wolff said after qualifying that the podium would be "too much to ask". But Antonelli, the Formula One championship leader, delivered the most eye-catching drive of his short career so far, climbing from 19th to win.
He was helped by an early stoppage after Charles Leclerc lost control and destroyed a tyre barrier at the Parabolica corner, the same corner he crashed at six years ago. It was a miserable day for home heroes Ferrari.
Rise Through the Field
Antonelli showed supreme pace throughout. He was already up to 12th by the time the red flags came out on lap four, and moved into the points a couple of corners after the restart. He completed his rise on lap 18 when he overtook Russell for the first time.
The two Mercedes drivers swapped the lead several times more, part of a three-way fight also involving Max Verstappen, whose Red Bull came alive on race day. The battle only ceased when the Mercedes garage intervened, worried that intra-team squabbling would open the door for the Dutchman.
Antonelli was told to hold position at a time when Russell was ahead. He complained, but complied, and got his reward when a virtual safety car appeared at a point when he was right on the gearbox of the other Mercedes.
Decisive Tyre Call
They were too close for the team to double-stack pit stops, so Antonelli was told to box and Russell stayed out. Russell had track position, but his team-mate got a fresh set of tyres which he soon used to full effect, cutting back through the field and setting fastest lap after fastest lap.
He was soon back up to second and closing all the time. With less than 20 laps to go, Russell asked on the radio if his lap times were good enough. The response was that Antonelli was forecast to catch him by the end of the Grand Prix. Ten laps from the end, Russell reported that his old, weary hard tyres were "opening up". The response was that, at their current pace, Antonelli would catch with three laps to go.
Home Soil Glory
There were actually four laps left when the two Mercedes went side by side into the first chicane, but it went awry for Antonelli as he locked up and ended up skating through the gravel on the exit. Crucially, he kept it going and did not lose too much time, so the opportunity to take the lead came again by the very next lap.
The locals erupted when he got past on lap 50 of 53, before cruising to victory – a first Italian win on home soil for 60 years, since Ludovico Scarfiotti brought home glory for Ferrari. This time the local lad was in a silver Mercedes, but that did nothing to temper the joy in the grandstands.
Verstappen completed the podium, the two McLarens falling short as they spent the latter laps fighting each other, including a scary moment when Lando Norris went onto the grass while trying to pass Oscar Piastri, before accusing the Australian of squeezing him off. Behind them in sixth, Lewis Hamilton trudged across the line on a horrible day for Ferrari. But at least the Italians had a new hero to celebrate.
