Once the race restarted, Gasly tumbled down the order while Red Bull\u2019s Max Verstappen rose to fight Russell for first, with the pair swiftly joined by Antonelli. The Italian had surfed the early chaos well to rise rapidly from starting near the rear of the field after an engine-change grid penalty.<\/p>\n
After Russell and Verstappen exchanged the lead in the early phases of yo-yo racing \u2014 where one driver gets more electrical engine power while chasing another, before losing it once ahead \u2014 Antonelli then decisively passed Verstappen on Lap 16 of 53.<\/p>\n
He and Russell then spent the next phase regularly swapping the lead, before Antonelli obeyed a Mercedes order to stop fighting to try and drop Verstappen. This appeared to be working before a virtual safety car (VSC) activation for Lance Stroll stopping his Aston Martin at the track\u2019s first chicane changed the face of the race.<\/p>\n
Antonelli and Verstappen pitted during the neutralization, after they had been put on medium tires during the red flag, with Russell left out on the hards he had been given for the restart.<\/p>\n
That left Antonelli with a 15-second gap to close on fresh mediums, which he duly did. The home hero caught Russell and his ancient hards by Lap 47 and, around a trip through the gravel at Turn 2 on Lap 48, he blasted ahead to send his fellow Italians wild in the grandstands.<\/p>\n
Verstappen took third ahead of the battling McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with Hamilton sixth and Gasly seventh.<\/p>\n
Our experts, Madeline Coleman and Luke Smith, analyze the key talking points.<\/p>\n
Why Antonelli\u2019s charge will go down in history<\/p>\n
Antonelli\u2019s 2026 season has been filled with performances that define his place as a generational talent.<\/p>\n
But this victory, scything his way from 19th on the grid to take the checkered flag first, will surely go down as the most significant of them all, tightening his grip on the world championship with a stunning defeat of Russell, his Mercedes teammate and primary title rival, in the process.<\/p>\n
![\"Kimi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2293818057-scaled.jpg\")
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\n Kimi Antonelli ended a 60-year wait for an Italian winner at Monza. (Clive Rose \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Antonelli had doubted his chances of such a fightback on Thursday, telling reporters that getting back into the top five was a realistic target. But after starting 19th, he was already fifth after just 10 laps before easing past Hamilton and Piastri, and then picking off Verstappen and, by Lap 17, Russell to take the lead for the first time.<\/p>\n
It was then left to the two Mercedes drivers to swap the lead back and forth for several laps, only for that to cause concern on the team\u2019s pit wall due to Verstappen\u2019s continued presence. Both drivers were told to stop yo-yoing positions and to instead work together to pull clear of the Red Bull, with the aim of clinching the team\u2019s 1-2 result before settling their own fight at the end.<\/p>\n
The divergence of strategies thanks to the VSC was a blow to Russell. He suddenly had a 15-second buffer to his young teammate, but Antonelli had fresher and quicker tires with which he could push all the way to the end. If he could make up the time, Russell would be powerless to keep the Italian back.<\/p>\n
![\"Kimi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2293816493-scaled.jpg\")
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\n Kimi Antonelli is congratulated by his teammate George Russell. (Clive Rose \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Antonelli\u2019s race engineer, Peter Bonnington, kept providing updates on the radio about the gap to Russell ahead and what lap times were required to catch him. Antonelli kept up his side of the bargain, chipping away consistently at the gap, lap after lap.<\/p>\n
Russell fought as hard as he could, setting personal best lap times even on tires that had done close to 50 laps, but it was no match to Antonelli\u2019s pace. But he blew his first chance to take the lead by running wide at the first chicane and going into the gravel with five laps to go, but he regained his composure to then breeze past Russell a couple of laps later before pulling clear and onto victory.<\/p>\n
In F1 history, only one driver has won from lower on the grid than 19th, when John Watson took victory from 22nd at Long Beach in 1983. While Watson may keep his place in history and as a good trivia answer, Antonelli\u2019s charge will surely go down as a much more meaningful win.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an emotional home success for Antonelli, who becomes the first Italian to win the Italian GP since 1966. It\u2019s also a win that serves a huge boost to his title hopes and, simultaneously, dents Russell\u2019s further. If starting 19th isn\u2019t enough to stop Antonelli this year, then what will be? \u2014 Luke Smith<\/p>\n
How Verstappen punched above Red Bull\u2019s weight<\/p>\n
In a year where Verstappen\u2019s car has made thoughts of a fifth world championship for the Dutchman seem distant, Monza was yet another reminder of his ability to produce sterling performances that can disrupt and spook the leaders.<\/p>\n
Verstappen was frustrated by the balance of his car through qualifying and kept lamenting a lack of power, despite the FIA deeming Red Bull to have the best engine. But once the race came alive, he was able to hassle the leaders, not only getting in the fight against Russell and Antonelli initially, but keeping on enough pressure to worry the Mercedes strategists.<\/p>\n
The Mercedes was the outright quicker car at Monza, giving Verstappen little chance of beating Antonelli in a straight fight on the same strategy, having also pitted under the VSC. Instead his focus became surging back past Piastri and Hamilton, neither of whom came in under the VSC, to complete the podium behind the two Mercedes cars.<\/p>\n
![\"Kimi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2293817529-scaled.jpg\")
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\n Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, Max Verstappen and Simone Resta, Mercedes\u2019 deputy technical director, celebrate on the podium. (Clive Rose \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Piastri put up a spirited fight against Verstappen, who had a brief mistake with a lock-up at Turn 1 to briefly give the McLaren driver the podium spot back. But Verstappen had enough to pull clear in the last few laps and grab third, with the McLaren drivers slowed fighting amongst themselves.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a world away from Verstappen\u2019s Monza result last year, where he demolished the field to ignite the start of his 2025 title fightback that came just two points shy of another crown. Yet, it will go down as another example of him taking this year\u2019s Red Bull, far from the finest to come out of the team\u2019s Milton Keynes factory in recent times, to places few other drivers, if any, could.<\/p>\n
Imperfect days for McLaren and Ferrari certainly helped, but that shouldn\u2019t take away from how Verstappen drove, and especially some of his brave overtakes.<\/p>\n
The sweep around Leclerc into Ascari on the second lap was impressive, as was his forceful move on Piastri at the second chicane on Lap 1, and he was solid in his defence against the Mercedes drivers, leaving them barely enough room.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t a win, but it\u2019ll be a day Verstappen can be proud of. \u2014 Luke Smith<\/p>\n
What were Ferrari\u2019s problems on home race weekend?<\/p>\n
Ferrari\u2019s largely positive season has hit quite the speed bump. Coming into this weekend, the team brought an engine upgrade and both drivers expressed optimism before the on-track sessions began.<\/p>\n
Ferrari looked like it could be a victory threat to Mercedes, topping first practice and being in the top-five mix for second practice. But come Saturday, specifically qualifying, the picture began to change. It qualified fourth and fifth, with Leclerc leading the Ferrari duo. But both were quite critical of the team\u2019s strategy around the tow tactics needed to get the quickest lap times on Monza\u2019s long straights this year, with some remarks putting a spotlight on Ferrari\u2019s teamwork.<\/p>\n
With the slipstream proving to be as powerful as expected during qualifying, and all the drivers and teams trying to position themselves in spots where they could gain a tow, Ferrari struggled to get its timing right. Hamilton told reporters post-qualifying that, \u201cAt the end \u2026 the team was solely focused on trying to get an equal tow for Charles\u2019s lap.\u201d<\/p>\n
Come Sunday, the teammates battled fiercely at the start, coming near to contact at Turn 1 before being so close on the exit of Turn 2 that Hamilton said over his radio Leclerc \u201cpushed me off,\u201d after he had driven through the gravel trap on the corner\u2019s outside. The Briton went on to say moments later, \u201cWe\u2019re definitely going to have it on after the race.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Charles](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2293803602-scaled.jpg\")
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\n Charles Leclerc hit the barriers on the second lap. (Peter Fox \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
![\"Pierre](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2293804711-scaled.jpg\")
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