Kimi Antonelli set a new record and beat a little-known Lewis Hamilton milestone during his win at the Italian GP.
Kimi Antonelli made an amazing achievement at the Italian Grand Prix by beating Lewis Hamilton’s record for the most overtakes in a single race weekend. Starting way back in 19th place because of power unit penalties, Antonelli didn’t let that stop him. He even passed his teammate George Russell at Ascari on lap 50 after trying and missing on the previous lap.
In total, Antonelli made 26 overtakes, beating Hamilton’s previous record of 25, which he set at the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix. This great performance also helped Antonelli extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 66 points ahead of Russell, who finished second. With 10 races left, Antonelli looks very likely to take the championship, though others still have a chance to catch up.
At Monza, Antonelli was already up to 13th place by the time Charles Leclerc crashed on lap 3, which caused a red flag. By the next lap, he’d moved up to 8th. The young Italian, only 20 years old, passed top drivers like Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, and Pierre Gasly, before closing in on Verstappen and Russell at the front.
Antonelli and Russell swapped places a few times until Antonelli pitted on lap 28. The virtual safety car helped him make up time on fresher tires, setting him up for a key overtake on lap 50. By then, he had already passed Hamilton’s record of 24 overtakes from one of Hamilton’s most memorable races.
Hamilton’s own story is impressive too. After starting at the back because of sprint qualifying, he climbed up to 5th in the sprint race, which set the grid for the Grand Prix. A five-place penalty for engine rules dropped him to 10th for Sunday’s race, but he fought hard and even overtook Max Verstappen on lap 59 to win. This kept his championship chances alive.
Hamilton was also thought to have shared the record for most overtakes in a single Grand Prix, with 18 overtakes at the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix. He started 22nd and finished 7th, overtaking some cars twice after an early pit stop.
Other great overtakers include Carlos Sainz, who moved from 19th to 5th at the 2022 French Grand Prix in a superb Ferrari performance, and Charles Leclerc, who had 18 overtakes at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel made 16 overtakes to go from 20th to 2nd at the 2019 German Grand Prix. Max Verstappen also shined by climbing from 17th to win the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix, making 10 overtakes in that race.
Overall, Antonelli’s fantastic drive at Monza was one for the history books!