How Kimi Antonelli Made History by Beating Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher at the Italian GP
Kimi Antonelli pulled off an amazing win at the Italian Grand Prix, beating big names like Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, despite starting near the back of the grid.
Antonelli got a 30-place grid penalty for changing his power unit at Monza, which pushed him to the very end of the field at his home race. The 18-year-old, who is comfortably leading the Drivers’ Championship ahead of his Mercedes teammate George Russell, still took part in Q3 and even set a good lap time.
When race day came, Antonelli got off to a lightning-fast start, moving up to 13th place by the end of the third lap. Then, after a big crash by Charles Leclerc at Parabolica, the red flag came out. This pause helped Antonelli because it led to a second standing start, and by the next lap, he had already moved up to eighth.
He kept making his way through the pack and by lap 18, he passed Russell to take the lead. They swapped positions a few times, with Mercedes pitting Antonelli under a virtual safety car on lap 28. That pit stop paid off as he attacked Russell in the final laps. Though he went off track on his first try, sliding into the gravel on lap 49, Antonelli managed to make the move at Ascari a lap later and pulled away for an emotional victory.
Even though his penalty should have had him start 22nd, Antonelli actually started 19th because Alex Albon also had a grid penalty, and Fernando Alonso and Liam Lawson began from the pit lane. This meant Antonelli didn’t set a new record for the most spots gained in a single race.
That record still belongs to John Watson, who went from 22nd to first at the US West Grand Prix. His qualifying was slower because McLaren couldn’t get their tires up to speed, yet he still won. Schumacher jumped from 16th to first at the 1995 Belgian GP, and Hamilton climbed from 14th to win at the 2018 German GP. Among current drivers, Max Verstappen started 18th in Brazil 2024, and Kimi Raikkonen famously won the 2005 Japanese GP after starting 18th too.
Antonelli’s win is his first as a Formula 1 driver, and though the Tifosi hoped for a Ferrari victory at their home race, having Antonelli on top was a fantastic consolation.
After the race, Antonelli said, “I didn’t expect this at all. Grazie a tutti! It’s unbelievable, I’m so happy and never imagined being here today. But we pulled it off, and I’m really, really happy.”
He also admitted the moment he slid into the gravel on lap 49 was scary. “The tarmac was breaking up, and I thought I could make the corner. But once I went over some gravel, I thought maybe I lost my chance. Luckily, we still had the pace to finish strong.”