Monza sees Antonelli win Italian Grand Prix from 19th on grid
Kimi Antonelli secured a significant victory at the Italian Grand Prix, triumphing from 19th on the grid in a remarkable comeback performance. This win further strengthens his position in the championship standings, placing him 66 points ahead of teammate George Russell.
The race at Monza was filled with drama, including a challenging outing for Ferrari in front of their home crowd and a surprise pole position for Pierre Gasly.
Antonelli’s Dominant Home Victory
Antonelli’s performance at Monza was described as special, particularly given the circumstances leading into the weekend. He faced a 30-place grid penalty due to power unit changes on his Mercedes car, leading to initial discussions of damage limitation.
However, Antonelli demonstrated strong pace and executed smart overtakes throughout the race. He quickly moved up the field, reaching 12th place after only a few laps before a red flag was deployed for Charles Leclerc’s crash. Following the restart, Antonelli entered the points positions and challenged Russell for the lead by Lap 18.
A mid-race Virtual Safety Car influenced the intra-team battle, with Antonelli opting for fresh medium tires while Russell remained on used hard tires. Despite this, Antonelli’s underlying pace was evident, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff suggesting that nothing could have prevented his victory. This result puts Antonelli within nine points of a three-win cushion in the championship, setting up a crucial period for Russell to respond.
Challenging Weekend for Ferrari and Surprise Pole for Gasly
While Antonelli celebrated a home victory, Ferrari experienced a difficult Grand Prix at Monza. The team had arrived with high expectations, with Lewis Hamilton expressing confidence in their chances and Leclerc aiming for a special weekend, especially with an engine upgrade.
However, qualifying presented early issues, with both drivers feeling the team’s strategy could have been better executed, leaving them in fourth and fifth on the grid, which became third and fourth after a penalty for Oscar Piastri. The race itself saw further complications. On the opening lap, Leclerc and Hamilton made contact, resulting in Hamilton running wide into the gravel and dropping down the order. Hamilton later commented on the incident, stating, “Charles pushed me off!” Leclerc’s race ended prematurely on the next lap when he crashed his SF-26 into the barriers.
Hamilton ultimately finished in sixth place, describing his race as “a bit devastating” and “tough to swallow.” The early incident with Leclerc left him in P10, and he indicated the matter would be discussed internally.
In a surprising turn of events during qualifying, Pierre Gasly secured his maiden Formula 1 pole position for Alpine. Despite the advantage of a slipstream, Gasly’s performance was unexpected. He utilized the Mercedes power unit to top both Q1 and Q3, marking a significant moment for him at Monza, where he previously achieved his first and only victory six years prior.
Although Gasly led the opening lap and maintained a strong position among the front-runners for a time, he eventually finished seventh in the race, 27 seconds behind Antonelli. His teammate, Franco Colapinto, also scored points, finishing ninth. These results have helped Alpine reduce the gap to Red Bull’s sister outfit in the battle for fifth in the teams’ standings, now trailing by 13 points.
Support Races and Upcoming Events
The Italian Grand Prix weekend also featured exciting support races. Joshua Duerksen of Invicta Racing had a standout weekend in F2, winning both the Feature Race and the Sprint, bringing his total F2 wins to a record-equalling eight. His victories moved him to eighth in the championship standings. His teammate, Rafael Camara, also secured a podium finish, helping to close the gap to championship leader Nikola Tsolov, who now leads by 11 points.
In F3, Nicola Lacorte claimed his first victory for DAMS Lucas Oil, a significant win for the Italian on home soil. He started from third on the grid to secure his team’s inaugural F3 victory. The F2 and F3 championships will continue next weekend in Madrid, where the F3 title will be decided.
The main F1 season will also proceed to Madrid next week for the first-ever Grand Prix at the Madring, with practice sessions beginning on Friday.
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Source: formula1.com
