Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli took a breathtaking victory in an incident-packed Italian Grand Prix from 19th place on the grid.
The Italian caught and passed his team-mate George Russell, who started second, with four laps to go to extend his championship lead to 66 points.
Antonelli’s performance is the second furthest back a driver has ever come from to win a grand prix after John Watson’s victory from 22nd on the grid in the 1983 United States Grand Prix West.
It was a statement performance from Antonelli, who remarkably was on Russell’s tail and challenging for victory within 16 laps of the start.
Antonelli looked capable of winning any which way, but decided to stop for fresh tyres under a virtual safety car mid-race and narrowed a 15-second gap to nothing before carving past Russell.
The Italian fans, who usually support Ferrari, rose to acclaim their new hero after a sensational drive as he crossed the line to take the chequered flag.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took the final podium place ahead of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
The key stories of a gripping race at Monza were:
Antonelli’s compelling and spectacular win, the best of a stand-out season from the Italian
A desperately disappointing day for Russell, who knew he needed to try to use this day to make up points on his team-mate
A disappointing home race for Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton finishing sixth and Charles Leclerc crashing out early
A good recover from McLaren
More to follow
