Antonelli Wins Italian GP From P19, First Italian Since 1966

Kimi Antonelli won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 6, 2026, driving from 19th on the grid to become the first Italian to win his home race since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966, according to Formula1.com's official race report.

The 20-year-old Mercedes driver had been demoted to the back of the grid by a penalty before the race, but climbed through the field lap by lap. Early on, Charles Leclerc crashed at the Parabolica corner, triggering a red flag that paused the race for roughly 30 minutes while barriers were repaired, per Formula1.com. When racing resumed, Antonelli and teammate George Russell traded the lead multiple times, with Antonelli briefly running wide into the gravel on lap 49 before passing Russell for good on lap 50.

Antonelli crossed the line 3.857 seconds ahead of Russell, while Red Bull's Max Verstappen completed the podium 14.718 seconds behind, according to Wikipedia's race summary, corroborated by PlanetF1's results table.

Why now: Scarfiotti's 1966 win was the last time an Italian driver stood atop the Monza podium in front of a home crowd — a 60-year wait that ended in the most improbable way, from outside the top 15 on the grid.

Why it matters: the result also reversed the day's other headline. Pierre Gasly had claimed his and Alpine's first-ever Formula 1 pole position on Saturday with a lap of 1:21.786 — the first pole for a French driver since Jean Alesi in 1997, ending a 29-year drought. But Gasly lost the lead within the opening laps and finished seventh, per PlanetF1's official results.

The win extended Antonelli's lead in the drivers' championship to 267 points, while Mercedes stretched its constructors' championship lead to 468 points, Formula1.com reported. Attendance at Monza reached 403,666 over the weekend.