Italian Formula 1 fans endured a roller coaster of emotions on Sunday as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed out early in the Italian Grand Prix and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli went on to win his home race.It was one of those races where the narrative kept changing.Pierre Gasly started on pole after a shocking qualifying performance, but it was only a matter of time before the Alpine driver slid down the timesheets. George Russell took control of the race, fending off a challenge from Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, Antonelli started 19th and plucked his way through the crowd, finally catching up to Russell and battling with him for the victory.Antonelli’s win and how he did it was a huge feat, one that will be a standout race for years to come for the Italian driver. But some drivers and teams left with more questions, like where does Russell go from here and what is going on with Ferrari and McLaren.Before the paddock heads to Madrid for the last European race of the season, here’s the latest edition of our post-race F1 mailbag.Editor’s note: Questions have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.I’m new to following F1. Was Kimi’s win going from 19th to first as wild as it seemed to be? — AnonymousIn the history of F1, only one driver has won a grand prix from further back on the grid than Antonelli did at Monza on Sunday.That was John Watson, who won the 1983 United States Grand Prix West (named to differentiate between the multiple American races back then) from 22nd on the grid for McLaren. The runner-up in that race, Niki Lauda, started from 23rd, and both benefited from a race of attrition in which only 13 cars finished.The only other world championship race won from 19th was the 1954 Indianapolis 500, where Bill Vukovich won, but it wasn’t run to F1 car regulations.This century, only three other wins have come from further back than 15th. Rubens Barrichello took an emotional win at Hockenheim in 2000 from 18th, while both Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen have scored wins from 17th.Verstappen’s charge to win at Interlagos after a disastrous qualifying two years ago all but ended that year’s title race, while Raikkonen’s 2005 win at Suzuka was clinched dramatically with a last-lap overtake.There have been a handful of similar charges that have fallen just short of a stunning victory. Last year in Brazil, Verstappen went from the pit lane to third place, stymied in the closing stages by Antonelli’s defense to cling on to second place. Often, drivers in quicker cars can fight up the order, only to struggle to overhaul the leader because they’ve had to push their tires harder to get there in the first place.Not Antonelli. He was incisive in his moves early on to leave himself in the top five just a few laps after the restart and, crucially, had the pace to keep up with Russell. The Virtual Safety Car made his strategy to stop for another set of mediums the better option, compared to Russell, who did the whole race on hard tires without pitting after the red flag. But this was a stunning — indeed, wild! — charge to victory. — Luke SmithWhere does George go from here? Will he look for another seat, or does he stay where he is, and continue to accept being #2? — Scott H.I get why this question is being asked. If you were to entertain the idea of him considering moving teams, which he’s not, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren are locked in with their respective drivers and have standout stars. But I think this question comes too early, given the amount of bad luck and not-great form Russell had for the first half of the season — something even he has admitted. He’s been in the top three in the last two races and the sprint race, showing improved form.
F1 Mailbag: What now for George Russell? And does F1 have a concussion protocol?
Plus, what happened to Alpine? We answer readers' questions from a dramatic Italian GP weekend









