Graphics by Dyric Espinosa

Kimi Antonelli stormed from 19th on the grid to beat Mercedes teammate George Russell and claim a historic Italian Grand Prix victory at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Monza, Italy, Sunday, September 6.

Antonelli started at the back after an engine-related grid penalty, while Russell lined up second behind pole-sitter Pierre Gasly.

Gasly held the lead at the opening start, but Russell, soon passed him at the first chicane before Charles Leclerc crashed on the second lap and triggered a red flag.

After the restart, Russell regained the lead as Antonelli continued his charge, climbing to seventh before passing Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Antonelli then moved into the top four before overtaking Max Verstappen and closing in on Russell at the front.

The Italian completed his charge to the lead on Lap 18 by passing Russell into Turn 1, but the Mercedes teammates continued trading positions through the chicanes.

Antonelli later pitted for fresh medium tyres during a Virtual Safety Car period, while Russell stayed out on used hard tyres and retained the lead.

With 20 laps remaining, Antonelli returned to second and steadily reduced Russell’s advantage as the Mercedes pair pulled clear of Verstappen.

Russell struggled with tyre degradation in the closing stages, allowing Antonelli to close within striking distance with five laps remaining.

Antonelli initially ran wide into the gravel while attempting to pass Russell on Lap 49, but recovered quickly and made the decisive move between Lesmo 2 and the Ascari chicane on the following lap.

The 20-year-old then pulled away to secure his first Italian Grand Prix victory, with Russell finishing second by 3.857 seconds and Verstappen taking third.

The win made Antonelli the first Italian to win at Monza since 1966 and extended his championship lead to 66 points over Russell with 10 rounds remaining.

Article by Fiona Rubenecia