Andrea Kimi Antonelli achieved one of the most impressive victories of his career after triumphing in his home Grand Prix of Italy in Formula 1. The Italian Mercedes driver won the race at the legendary Monza track, despite starting only 19th due to a penalty and even having to make an additional pit stop. The success also has historical significance. Antonelli became the first Italian to win the Italian Grand Prix at Monza since 1966. At that time, the victory went to Ludovico Scarfiotti with Ferrari, BTA reports.
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver managed to turn an extremely difficult starting position into a triumph in front of his home crowd. Antonelli had to make up a huge gap from the start, but gradually made his way forward thanks to his high pace and the right strategy. The Italian finished 3.8 seconds ahead of his teammate George Russell, who started from second position. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third, 14.7 seconds behind. McLaren drivers Oscar Piastre and reigning world champion Lando Norris were fourth and fifth.
For Russell, the race turned into a serious blow to his championship ambitions. The Briton had an excellent starting position and for a long time looked like the main favorite for victory, but in the final part he was unable to match his teammate's pace.
At the beginning of the race, Russell managed to overtake Pierre Gasly on the first lap. The Frenchman from Alpine started from pole position for the first time in his career, but was unable to maintain his lead. However, a serious accident occurred in the opening laps. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who had started fourth, lost control of his car in the final 11th turn. The Monegasque crashed into the barriers at high speed and retired.
The crash brought out a red flag on the track, which led to a lengthy interruption of the race. After the restart, Russell managed to increase his lead over Gasly, but the Frenchman gradually began to lose positions.
Antonelli, who had started from 19th place, continued his impressive climb in the standings. The Italian demonstrated excellent pace and on lap 18 he found himself in the lead for the first time. In the following laps, Antonelli and Russell exchanged the lead several times. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was taking advantage of the fight between the two Mercedes drivers and was running just behind them.
The key moment in the battle came on lap 29. Antonelli and Verstappen entered the pits for a tire change, while Russell remained on the track.
This decision initially looked like an opportunity for Russell to gain an advantage, but as the race progressed, his hard tires began to lose efficiency. Antonelli gradually began to close the gap. The Italian had another challenge - he had already made an extra pit stop, which meant he had to make up for lost time at a higher pace.
In the final phase, Antonelli caught up with Russell and the two found themselves in a direct battle for the victory. The Mercedes pits urged the drivers not to take too many risks, but the better condition of the Italian's tires gave him a decisive advantage. On lap 50, Antonelli launched a successful attack and took the lead. Russell was unable to respond and had to settle for second place until the finish. Thus, Antonelli not only won his home race, but did so in one of the most impressive ways possible - after starting from 19th position.
The victory is the Italian's seventh since the start of the season and allowed him to increase his lead in the general classification. Antonelli now has 267 points, while Russell is 66 points less. His triumph at “Monza“ was accepted as a historic moment for Italian motor sport. 60 years after Scarfiotti's success, another Italian once again stood highest on the podium in front of his home crowd.
However, the result is painful for Russell. The Briton finished just behind his teammate and lost valuable points in the title race, while Antonelli took another big step towards the championship trophy. The next round of the season will be held in Spain.