Kimi Antonelli Climbs 18 Places to Enter Formula 1’s Olympus After an Impossible Monza Win

Kimi Antonelli is going to be the Formula 1 world champion. If there was any doubt, the Italian has resolved it in front of his fans at Monza, clawing his way from nineteenth on the grid to the first position and overtaking George Russell in the final laps to dive straight into Formula 1’s Olympus.

The race was marked by Charles Leclerc’s brutal crash early on, which forced the event to be stopped under red flags. Antonelli benefited from a Virtual Safety Car along the way, but that doesn’t dim in the slightest the feat that is already the greatest comeback win ever achieved at Monza in Formula 1.

Fernando Alonso se retiró tras una salida de pista

Kimi Antonelli is inscribing his name in the annals of Formula 1 with capital letters. The world championship leader has just become the first Italian to win at Monza in 60 years, and he didn’t do it by any ordinary means: he climbed 18 places from nineteenth on the grid.

Antonelli had already climbed to twelfth by the first restart, before the red flag halted everything due to Leclerc’s terrible crash. The Ferrari driver veered straight into the wall at La Parabolica, after a start that had already been controversial for taking out his teammate, Lewis Hamilton.

For the restart, Antonelli moved from hard tyres to mediums and completed his comeback. Through pace and overtakes he reached the lead, and put pressure on Russell until Mercedes ordered him to pit. Yet Russell had the upper hand on pace, as his tyres were harder, but a touch of luck saved Antonelli.

The Aston Martin of Lance Stroll stopped, triggering a virtual safety car. Antonelli used that moment to switch tyres, losing less time than usual. The final stint became a display of pace in which he caught and passed Russell, albeit with a scare at the end when he slid into the gravel while treading on rubber shreds.

The gap between Antonelli and Russell now stands at 66 points, but that isn’t the most important part. The key is that his speed remains even greater than his advantage. All that remains is to start counting when Antonelli will become champion. The podium was completed by Max Verstappen, who briefly led the race but was forced to yield to Mercedes’ superiority.

The McLarens battled each other to the end, with Lando Norris beating Oscar Piastri for fourth place on the final lap. Ferrari continues to fade, with Lewis Hamilton sixth, while the pole-sitter, Pierre Gasly, gradually lost positions but at least salvaged a commendable seventh place at Monza.

Franco Colapinto had reached P3 with the other Alpine, but a drifting-off on track ruined his race. In the end the Argentine finished ninth, sandwiched between the two Racing Bulls, who placed Arvid Lindblad eighth and a Yuki Tsunoda who scores points on this brief F1 comeback.

As for the Spaniards, Carlos Sainz finished thirteenth, ahead of Liam Lawson’s Red Bull, and Fernando Alonso retired. The Asturian had a small off-track moment in the Lesmo corners that damaged his car, so Aston Martin opted to pull out of the race. At least he used the opportunity to swap engine components and incur a grid penalty.

Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix 2026 results

Formula 1 World Championship standings

1st. Kimi ANTONELLI (Mercedes-ITA), 267 points

2nd. GEORGE RUSSELL (Mercedes-GBR), 201 points

3rd. LEWIS HAMILTON (Ferrari-GBR), 191 points

4th. LANDO NORRIS (McLaren-GBR), 171 points

5th. CHARLES LECLERC (Ferrari-MON), 155 points

Images | Racing Bulls, Mercedes