F1 leader Kimi Antonelli wins Italian GP after epic charge from the back

Antonelli’s sensational contention from 19th to the triumph astatine Monza makes him the archetypal Italian to assertion the rubric successful 60 years.

Championship person Kimi Antonelli has delivered 1 of the astir sensational triumphs successful the agelong past of the Italian Grand Prix by becoming the archetypal location victor successful 60 years aft starting from 19th connected the grid.

The 20-year-old Mercedes driver, from adjacent Emilia-Romagna, claimed his seventh triumph of the play connected Sunday to widen his pb successful the drivers’ rubric contention arsenic helium seeks to go Italy’s archetypal satellite champion since Ferrari’s Alberto Ascari successful 1953.

He is the archetypal home victor of the Italian GP since Ludovico Scarfiotti successful 1966.

In a thrilling, helter-skelter contention of chaotic overtaking moves, Antonelli came location 3.857 seconds up of his teammate and rubric rival George Russell, who is present 66 points adrift successful the championship, with four-time champion Max Verstappen 3rd for Red Bull.

For the impassioned Italian crowd, his triumph was immoderate consolation for their disappointment successful seeing Ferrari endure a disappointing flop with Charles Leclerc crashing retired connected thigh two, and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton finishing sixth down the McLaren brace of satellite champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Antonelli had started astatine the backmost of the grid aft taking penalties for power-unit changes, but showed searing gait passim arsenic helium carved done the tract – benefitting from an aboriginal reddish emblem stoppage – earlier outracing Russell to win.

“Unbelievable!” said an affectional Antonelli.

“I’m truthful happy, I could ne'er person imagined being present today, but we pulled it off.

“After the 2nd restart, I knew I was up determination and could person had a changeable astatine the win.

“I believed successful it, particularly erstwhile I was down George, but it was truly hard to interruption distant with the tow being truthful strong.”

Alpine’s maiden pole-sitter Pierre Gasly finished seventh up of Racing Bulls’ rookie Arvid Lindblad, Franco Colapinto successful the 2nd Alpine, and Yuki Tsunoda of Racing Bulls.

“Huge congratulations to Kimi, an unthinkable effect from him,” said Russell of Antonelli’s win.

“I knew helium was going to beryllium successful the premix erstwhile I saw helium was P5 and P4 connected the leaderboard astatine the beginning… I was struggling connected the tyres, but I’d person loved to beryllium P1 today.”

Mercedes’s Kimi Antonelli leads up of teammate George Russell astatine the Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit successful Monza, bluish Italy [Marco Bertorello/AFP]

Ferrari fail

The contention started successful melodramatic manner erstwhile Hamilton was forced disconnected by teammate Leclerc.

The Monegasque, who is simply a two-time victor astatine Monza, past mislaid power connected the exit of the Parabolica astatine the extremity of thigh two, going consecutive into the gravel and flying side-on into the tyre barriers.

Leclerc stepped retired of the car, looking winded but different unhurt.

The contention was red-flagged with Russell successful the lead, having overtaken pole-sitter Pierre Gasly of Alpine.

Antonelli, who began astatine the backmost of the tract successful 19th aft exceeding the permitted fig of power-unit changes, had already moved his mode up to 12th. Once the contention restarted, helium continued to prime his mode done the field.

On thigh 18, helium deed the beforehand for the archetypal time, but that was the commencement of a hopeless dogfight with Russell.

Antonelli benefited from a “free” tyre alteration during a virtual information car connected thigh 29, coming retired connected a caller acceptable of mediums portion Russell was near retired connected way with his hard tyres.

A 15-second pb rapidly evaporated, and aft a botched overtaking effort connected thigh 49, Antonelli yet slipped past Russell a thigh aboriginal and eased his mode done the last 3 laps to instrumentality the chequered flag.

Fans cheer for victor Kimi Antonelli aft the Italian Grand Prix [Andrej Isakovic/AFP]