Kimi Antonelli delivered a statement performance at Monza on Sunday, winning his home Italian Grand Prix from 19th on the grid to become the first Italian driver to win at Monza in 60 years.

Comeback from the back of the grid

Antonelli started towards the rear after a power unit change triggered a 30-place grid penalty. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said "nothing would have stopped him" throughout the race.

He was 12th after a couple of laps when a red flag was thrown for Charles Leclerc’s heavy crash at Parabolica. After the restart Antonelli quickly moved into the points, then made an initial move on team mate George Russell for the lead on Lap 18.

A mid-race Virtual Safety Car allowed Antonelli to pit for fresh medium tyres while Russell stayed out on used hards. Antonelli used the new rubber to close and pass Russell with four laps remaining, briefly going off at the first chicane before recovering to take the chequered flag.

"Unbelievable, I'm so happy and I could never have imagined to be here today but we managed to pull it off and I'm really happy," Antonelli said. "It's a dream coming true."

Championship impact

The win is Antonelli's seventh of the season. He now leads the Drivers’ Championship on 267 points, 66 points clear of Russell on 201, with Lewis Hamilton third and Lando Norris fourth.

Mercedes are now 122 points ahead of Ferrari in the Teams’ battle. Antonelli was voted Driver of the Day with 39.9% of the fan vote, ahead of Max Verstappen and George Russell.

Other Monza highlights

Pierre Gasly took a shock pole position for Alpine, his maiden Formula 1 pole, but faded to seventh. Team mate Franco Colapinto scored points in ninth after running as high as third at the restart.

Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad and Yuki Tsunoda scored double points, with Lindblad describing the result as "damage limitation" in the battle for fifth in the Teams’ Championship against Alpine. Oscar Piastri was penalised on the grid and slipped down the order.