Kimi Antonelli stole the show by winning his home Formula 1 race from 19th on the grid, but who else shone in the Italian Grand Prix?<\/p>\n
A big early crash, back-and-forths up and down the field, and the late hunt for victory made this an entertaining Monza race – but some will be leaving far happier than others.<\/p>\n
Here’s our pick of winners and losers from race day in Italy.<\/p>\n
Winner: Kimi Antonelli (1st)<\/p>\n
Yes, maybe the couple of caveats that have to be mentioned – essentially taking victory from 12th (on the restart grid) not 19th; the virtual safety car pitstop – keep this victory out of the pantheon of greatest front-to-back wins<\/a> in F1 history.<\/p>\n But take nothing away from Antonelli. He looked imperious, incisive – and like an inevitable winner once he’d forced his way right into the heart of the leading pack just two laps after the restart.<\/p>\n Surely there’s no stopping this title charge now. – Jack Cozens<\/p>\n Loser: Ferrari (6th + DNF)<\/p>\n In the cold light of day, it feels exceptionally unlikely that Ferrari, with either Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc, was going to get too much out of this weekend – as Mercedes’s engine and deployment efficiency was the dominant force.<\/p>\n But the Ferrari of today doesn’t do ‘mediocre’ – it does ‘sky is falling down’, and in the home confines of Monza it fell down repeatedly as Antonelli stole the adoration of the home crowd instead.<\/p>\n Whatever the inside-team ruling on the Leclerc\/Hamilton encounter at the first chicane, it was very publicly embarrassing in conjunction with Leclerc’s subsequent devastating Parabolica exit. Then Ferrari got unlucky with the virtual safety car timing, which didn’t offer Hamilton the same strategic ‘free stop’ option as his fellow medium runners ahead. Though the reason he wasn’t with them may well have been that very first chicane run-in.<\/p>\n Leclerc must surely be devastated. Hamilton is struggling to hide his frustration – and has publicly accused his team of having “no rules”<\/a>, while also putting increasing pressure on team principal Fred Vasseur.<\/p>\n In the end, it’s not just a bad result. It’s also a particularly painful and costly way of getting there. – Valentin Khorounzhiy<\/p>\n Winner: Max Verstappen (3rd)<\/p>\n Was Verstappen ever a genuine contender for victory?<\/p>\n Maybe not. Any hope of that certainly faded with the time lost in battle with Oscar Piastri after pitting.<\/p>\n But regardless of how big a part the yo-yo nature of the racing played, how good was it to see Verstappen in the hustle and bustle of the lead fight once again?<\/p>\n