Antonelli wins Italian GP from 19th to stretch championship lead over Russell to 66 points

Kimi Antonelli produced one of the drives of the 2026 Formula 1 season at Monza on Sunday, winning the Italian Grand Prix from 19th on the grid to stretch his championship lead over George Russell to 66 points.

Russell had arrived at his team-mate’s home race hoping to claw back some of the 59-point deficit he carried into round 13, with Antonelli’s engine penalty appearing to hand the Briton a rare opportunity. Instead, the young Italian’s recovery drive rendered that advantage irrelevant, and Russell leaves Monza in a worse position than he arrived.

The result was equally damaging for Lewis Hamilton, whose difficult afternoon allowed Antonelli to pull further clear of him in the standings as well. Ferrari endured a painful weekend of their own, with Charles Leclerc crashing out and leaving the Scuderia to absorb the consequences in the constructors’ championship.

Mercedes compounded Ferrari’s misery by completing a one-two finish at Monza, a result that allows the Brackley outfit to pull away in the constructors’ standings. The gap between the two manufacturers now widens at a critical stage of the season.

Pierre Gasly had provided one of the weekend’s more unexpected moments by claiming pole position on Saturday, though the Alpine driver ultimately had to settle for seventh place in the race. His team-mate Isack Hadjar missed a second consecutive race but remains inside the top ten in the drivers’ standings. Alpine’s points haul at Monza allowed them to claw back some ground on Racing Bulls in the battle for fifth in the constructors’ championship, keeping that midfield contest alive heading into the second half of the season.