Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Italian Grand Prix after recovering from 19th on the grid and passing Mercedes team-mate George Russell with three laps remaining, as Max Verstappen completed the podium at Monza.
Antonelli’s route to victory was anything but straightforward. An early red flag, repeated changes of lead, contrasting tyre strategies and a late deterioration in Russell’s hard tyres kept the race open until lap 50 of 53. Once Antonelli finally made the decisive pass, Russell had no answer.
Leclerc Crash Brings an Early Red Flag
Pierre Gasly made a clean start from pole and retained the lead into Turn 1, while the two Ferraris made contact on the opening run through the first corner.
Lewis Hamilton dropped to eighth and immediately told Ferrari over the radio: “Charles pushed me out.”
Gasly survived the opening lap in front, but Russell was already applying pressure. At the start of lap two, the Mercedes driver carried his momentum around the outside into Turn 1 and took the lead.
Verstappen was also progressing quickly. A late-braking move put him ahead of Charles Leclerc and into third, leaving the Ferrari under pressure from Oscar Piastri.
Leclerc then lost control at high speed while defending, spun and hit the barriers heavily. He climbed out unaided, but the damage to the barriers and debris around the accident site initially brought out the Safety Car before the race was red-flagged.
The interruption lasted approximately half an hour as the circuit was cleared and the barriers repaired.
There was another delay before the restart when Yuki Tsunoda stopped incorrectly in his grid position, requiring an additional formation lap.
When the race finally resumed, Russell led Gasly and the chasing pack away.
Verstappen Challenges Russell as Antonelli Moves Forward
Russell protected the lead at Turn 1, but Gasly soon began to lose ground.
Verstappen passed the Alpine at Parabolica to take second, while Hamilton recovered from his opening-lap setback and moved past Gasly for third on lap 10. Piastri and Antonelli subsequently found their way through as Gasly slipped to sixth.
The gap at the front was shrinking. By lap 11, Verstappen was within half a second of Russell. One lap later, he attacked into Turn 1 and took the lead.
Antonelli, meanwhile, was rapidly changing the shape of the race behind them.
Starting 19th, the Italian had climbed to sixth after the restart. He passed Hamilton for fourth on lap 12 and cleared Piastri on lap 13, moving into third and bringing himself within range of the two leaders.
Russell reclaimed first place from Verstappen on lap 15. The Red Bull then came under immediate pressure from Antonelli, who moved into second as Verstappen reported a problem with the rear axle.
By lap 18, Antonelli was on Russell.
He passed his team-mate to take the lead, completing a recovery from 19th on the grid to first in less than half the race distance.
Mercedes Trade the Lead at the Front
The two Mercedes cars then produced the most sustained battle of the afternoon.
Russell attacked at the beginning of lap 20 and briefly reclaimed first place. Antonelli responded immediately, taking the inside line and moving back ahead. Russell tried again on lap 22. This time he completed the initial pass, only for Antonelli to use the slipstream and carry enough speed around the outside at the following corner to retake the position.
On lap 23, Russell came back once more and made the move stick.
The repeated exchanges were costing both drivers time, with Verstappen still close enough to benefit if the Mercedes pair continued fighting.
Mercedes intervened on lap 24, instructing its drivers to end the “yo-yo” battle and concentrate on opening the gap behind.
Russell therefore remained in front, with Antonelli settling into second rather than immediately attacking again.
Two laps later, Antonelli ran into the gravel after failing to make the corner cleanly. The excursion cost him time but not position, and he remained approximately half a second behind Russell once back up to speed.
Virtual Safety Car Opens the Strategy Window
The strategic picture changed when Lance Stroll stopped with a hydraulic problem.
A Virtual Safety Car was deployed while his car was recovered, giving Antonelli and Verstappen the opportunity to pit on lap 29.
Antonelli returned to the track in sixth behind Gasly, with Verstappen only half a second behind him in seventh.
Russell stayed out and retained the lead. That decision would become increasingly important as the race progressed.
By lap 30, Russell was already reporting deformation in his tyres. Mercedes instructed him to continue, leaving the leader to manage the remaining distance while Antonelli began recovering positions on fresher rubber.
Antonelli was back to fourth by lap 31.
Verstappen followed him through the traffic, passing Gasly and then Norris as he attempted to remain in touch with the Mercedes.
Hamilton’s medium tyres were also beginning to cause problems. The Ferrari driver ran into the escape area on lap 35, allowing Antonelli through, before reporting over the radio that the tyres were performing poorly.
Two laps later, Antonelli passed Piastri for second. Russell was ahead. Antonelli now had clear track to chase him.
Verstappen and Piastri Fight Over Third
While the Mercedes drivers concentrated on the lead, the final podium position remained unsettled.
Verstappen passed Hamilton for fourth before clearing Piastri on lap 39 to move into third. Piastri responded on lap 41 and reclaimed the position.
Verstappen attempted to fight back one lap later, pulling aggressively out of the slipstream before carrying too much speed into the corner and running into the escape area.
He regrouped and tried again on lap 43. This time the move was completed cleanly, returning Verstappen to third.
Norris later closed to within half a second of the Red Bull, keeping pressure on Verstappen as the race entered its final phase.
Russell’s Tyres Bring Antonelli Back Into Contention
With 10 laps remaining, Russell still held a 4.2-second advantage over Antonelli.
The gap appeared substantial. The condition of Russell’s tyres made it considerably less secure.
The Mercedes driver reported increasingly severe deformation, and the team confirmed it could see the deterioration in the data. Russell was nevertheless told to continue to the finish.
Antonelli began closing. The gap fell to 2.5 seconds and continued to disappear as Russell attempted to protect what remained of his tyres.
By lap 48, only 0.2 seconds separated the two Mercedes cars. Antonelli was close enough to attack, but his first opportunity did not work. On lap 49, he ran through the gravel on corner exit and briefly dropped around six tenths behind.
Russell gained a small amount of breathing room, but Antonelli was back within range almost immediately.
On lap 50, he completed the pass. Antonelli moved ahead of Russell and quickly established a gap of approximately one second. With only three laps remaining and Russell still managing his tyre problem, there was no further change at the front.
Antonelli Completes 19th-to-First Recovery at Monza
Antonelli controlled the final three laps and crossed the line to win the 2026 Italian Grand Prix.
Russell finished second to complete a Mercedes 1-2, while Verstappen secured third after a race in which he had briefly led and later fought Piastri for the final podium position.
Watch the 2026 Italian GP highlights here.
