Formula One championship leader Kimi Antonelli produced a stunning comeback to win his home Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, charging from 19th on the grid to victory at Monza and dealing a major blow to Mercedes teammate and closest title rival George Russell.
The 20-year-old became the first Italian to win at Monza since Ludovico Scarfiotti drove a Ferrari to victory in 1966. His triumph was also the 50th Formula One win by an Italian driver since the world championship began in 1950.
Russell took the lead on the second lap, shortly before Ferrari's Charles Leclerc crashed heavily and brought out a red flag that halted the race for around 30 minutes. The Briton ultimately finished second, 3.857 seconds behind Antonelli, after his Mercedes teammate closed rapidly on fresher tires in the closing stages.
Max Verstappen finished a distant third for Red Bull.
Russell had hoped to capitalize on Antonelli's engine penalties, which forced the Italian to start on the back row, and cut into his 59-point championship advantage. Instead, Antonelli extended his lead to 66 points after 13 rounds, strengthening his bid to become Formula One's youngest champion and Italy's first since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
