Antonelli wins in Monza, Max on the podium after strong race: 'Happy with P3'

Published on 06 September 2026 by Misha van der Kroon

Kimi Antonelli has won the Italian Grand Prix in front of his home crowd. The Italian produced an impressive comeback at Monza from nineteenth on the grid and crossed the finish line first after a strong overtaking drive. George Russell finished second, while Max Verstappen claimed third after an eventful race. Starting from fifth, the Dutchman put together a strong performance and even briefly found himself in contention for victory. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completed the top five in Italy.

Max had to fight hard for third place. The Red Bull was particularly lacking speed on the straights. “We’re obviously snails on the straights. The car didn’t feel very good and, of course, it’s disappointing when you see how much we’re lacking on the straights, but we maximised what was in the car.” Max once again struggled with the rear of the car, particularly through the slower corners. Nevertheless, he managed to fight his way towards the front. “There were some nice battles out on track. I often had to try to overtake around the outside, because between Turns 2 and 4 we were struggling quite a lot with the energy compared to our competitors.”

In the closing stages, Verstappen has another difficult moment at Turn 2 when the asphalt starts coming loose. “The asphalt was just coming apart there. I turned in and picked up all these loose pieces of asphalt. That completely unsettled the car.” Max then comes under pressure from the McLarens behind him. “They were in my overtaking mode and that makes quite a big difference here. But I’m happy with P3 and to be on the podium here.” After the race, Max also has some kind words for race winner Antonelli, who went from P19 to victory. “It’s obviously very special to win the Italian Grand Prix as an Italian. For me, it’s the same as winning at Zandvoort.” Asked about his Mercedes colleague’s impressive comeback, Max adds with a smile: “Every weekend, he strikes again. He’s doing a good job.”

The drivers are preparing for a hot battle for victory. Temperatures have reached 32 degrees in Monza, with the track temperature climbing to a scorching 56 degrees. Max starts the race from fifth on the grid at the Temple of Speed. Pierre Gasly is hoping to turn his surprise pole position into his second Formula 1 victory. His first win came exactly six years ago at this very circuit. Gasly gets away well at the start and holds onto the lead, but it doesn’t last long. Russell quickly finds a way past the Frenchman and takes over at the front. Meanwhile, things go wrong for Hamilton at Ferrari. After some wheel-to-wheel action with Leclerc, the Brit runs through the gravel and drops out of the top ten. Max takes advantage and moves up a position. Not long afterwards, he also gets past the other Ferrari, moving himself into a provisional podium position.

Then comes a big crash for Leclerc at the Parabolica. The Monegasque takes a wider line before the rear of his Ferrari steps out. He goes off the track and hits the barriers heavily. The race is subsequently suspended, so the damaged barriers can be repaired. Fortunately, Leclerc is able to climb out of his car himself, although he will probably feel the effects of the heavy impact for some time.

Half an hour later, the race gets back underway after an extra formation lap because Tsunoda was not correctly positioned in his starting box. Max does not get away particularly well and has to defend his position against both Alpines, but manages to get back past Colapinto. The Argentine runs through the gravel shortly afterwards and drops towards the back of the field. Max quickly finds his rhythm and also overtakes Gasly to move into second. Russell remains in the lead, while Gasly drops back to sixth. Verstappen closes the gap to the Mercedes rapidly and gets right onto Russell’s rear wing. On lap twelve, the Dutchman manages to take the lead, but Russell refuses to give up and retakes first place. Meanwhile, Antonelli is charging through the field at the Temple of Speed. The Italian started from P19 after a penalty for replacing his power unit, but he is on an impressive comeback drive. He has climbed all the way up to third and Verstappen is next: Kimi manages to get past the Red Bull.

The two Mercedes drivers continue to battle among themselves, overtaking each other several times in the fight for the lead. Team orders eventually put an end to the back-and-forth, with Russell instructed to increase the gap to Max. Otherwise, Antonelli will be allowed through. Then, within two laps, both Aston Martins retire. Stroll triggers a Virtual Safety Car when he parks his car at the side of the track with a hydraulic problem. Many drivers head into the pit lane, including Max and Antonelli. Max switches to the hard tyre and rejoins in sixth. He quickly overtakes Norris and moves up another position. Russell stays out and retains the lead on the hard compound. Antonelli is charging back through the field after his pit stop. He benefits from a mistake by Hamilton, who runs wide at Turn 1, before passing Piastri for second place.

Russell comes under pressure from his teammate. He is investigated by the stewards for an infringement under yellow flags, but no penalty is handed out. Max overtakes Piastri, but the Australian immediately fights back. Verstappen tries again at Turn 1, but locks up and has to run straight on. Eventually, he does manage to get past and takes third place. At the front, the two Mercedes drivers are preparing for an exciting final phase. Antonelli has closed the gap to Russell and tries to get past his teammate. Russell locks up, forcing Antonelli wide and into the gravel. The Italian is able to continue and immediately resumes his pursuit. 

A little later, Antonelli tries the outside line on Russell on the run towards the Variante Ascari. To the huge cheers of the Tifosi, he succeeds and takes the lead. Meanwhile, Verstappen has lost touch with the Mercedes duo and runs more than ten seconds behind Russell. Behind him, Piastri and Norris become embroiled in a battle, with Norris even running onto the grass for a moment. Antonelli manages to pull away from his teammate in the closing laps and crosses the finish line first in front of his home crowd. What a comeback: starting from P19, Antonelli drives all the way to victory and becomes the first Italian in sixty years to win the Italian Grand Prix. Russell finishes second, while Max rounds off a strong race with third place.

Results Grand Prix Italy: