Why in News?
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Italian Grand Prix at Monza on 6 September 2026, making a remarkable comeback from 19th on the starting grid. The victory made the 20-year-old Antonelli the first Italian to win the Italian GP since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.
Historic Victory
- Antonelli defeated his Mercedes teammate George Russell by 3.857 seconds.
- Max Verstappen finished third for Red Bull.
- It was Antonelli’s seventh victory of the 2026 season.
- He started from 19th after receiving a grid penalty for exceeding the permitted number of power-unit component changes.
- The race was red-flagged at the end of Lap 2 after Charles Leclerc crashed heavily at the Parabolica.
- After the restart, Antonelli moved rapidly through the field and briefly took the lead around Lap 18.
- A Virtual Safety Car around Lap 28–29 allowed Antonelli to pit for fresh medium tyres while Russell remained on older hard tyres.
- Antonelli used the tyre advantage to close the gap and made the decisive overtake around Lap 50, with about three laps remaining.
