Antonelli triumphs: Italian wins at Monza for the first time in 60 years

Kimi Antonelli became the first Italian driver in 60 years to win the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Having started from just 19th on the grid, the Italian could not hold back his tears after the finish and admitted that he had never imagined he could win the race.

The 75th Italian Grand Prix at Monza ended with a spectacular triumph for the home driver.

Almost every team brought upgrades to the event, although not all of them worked as expected. George Russell set the pace in practice on both Friday and Saturday. His team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli already knew that a power unit change would leave him starting near the back of the grid, so he focused on preparing for the race.

In qualifying, Antonelli gave Russell a slipstream, but it was Pierre Gasly who surprisingly set the fastest time. The Alpine driver claimed the first pole position of his career at his 191st Grand Prix. Russell lined up alongside him on the front row, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton on the second row and Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri on the third. Antonelli started from 19th.

Gasly held the lead at the start, while Antonelli immediately gained five positions. Russell moved into the lead on lap two, but shortly afterwards the race was red-flagged following a heavy crash for Leclerc. The Ferrari driver was able to get out of the car unaided, while repairs to the barriers took around half an hour.

Russell retained the lead at the restart, but an intense battle developed behind him. Antonelli continued his charge through the field and was up to third by lap 13, passing both Hamilton and Piastri along the way.

On lap 16, Kimi passed Verstappen before overtaking Russell two laps later to take the lead for the first time. The Mercedes team-mates exchanged positions several times. The team asked both drivers to first build a gap to Verstappen, but Max continued to match the leaders' pace.

A Virtual Safety Car was deployed on lap 27 after Lance Stroll stopped on track. Antonelli and Verstappen took the opportunity to pit, while Russell stayed out.

Once racing resumed, Kimi passed Norris, Hamilton and Piastri to move back into second place. Verstappen also made his way through the field and was up to third by lap 39.

In the closing stages, Antonelli caught Russell and attempted to pass his team-mate, but ran into the gravel and lost several seconds. Nevertheless, on lap 50 the Italian finally made the move, reclaimed the lead and immediately began to pull away.

Kimi Antonelli stayed in front to the chequered flag to claim the seventh victory of his career and set the fastest lap for the tenth time. He became the first Italian driver to win at Monza since 1966.

Russell finished second to secure Mercedes' third one-two finish of the season, while Verstappen completed the podium in third.

The Formula 1 World Championship continues next week with a round at the new circuit in Madrid.