Automobile Club d’Italia president Geronimo La Russa has hailed Kimi Antonelli after his extraordinary victory at Monza, describing the Mercedes driver’s achievement as “legendary” and “epic”. Antonelli became the first Italian to win the Italian Grand Prix in 60 years after charging from 19th on the grid to victory in front of a record crowd at the Temple of Speed.
La Russa described Kimi Antonelli as a generational talent and a source of Italian pride after a performance that put the country back on the top step of its home Grand Prix podium for the first time since 1966.
La Russa hails Kimi Antonelli’s historic Monza victory
“Legendary, epic. There probably aren’t any appropriate adjectives to describe what Kimi Antonelli achieved on the Monza track,” Geronimo La Russa said. “Not even in the most beautiful dream could you have imagined what happened today at the Temple of Speed, with an Italian driver returning to the top step of the podium after 60 years, at the end of an epic comeback from the back of the grid.”
Kimi Antonelli’s victory capped one of the most remarkable drives of the 2026 season. Starting 19th following penalties for new power-unit components, the Mercedes driver worked his way rapidly through the field before eventually overcoming team-mate George Russell to secure his home victory.
The result also strengthened Antonelli’s position at the top of the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, adding another major success to a season in which the young Italian has established himself at the forefront of the title battle.
Italian Grand Prix sets new attendance record above 400,000
Looking back across the entire weekend, La Russa also highlighted the extraordinary number of supporters who travelled to Monza. The Italian Grand Prix set another attendance record at the famous circuit, exceeding the 400,000 mark for the first time.
“I want to offer 400,000 thank-yous, because the fans are the heart of Monza and once again this year they have set a new attendance record for the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix,” La Russa added.
“The record of records, an extraordinary result that for the first time breaks through the 400,000-spectator mark, rewarding the immense work carried out by the ACI, the sporting federation, all the institutions and organisations that, together and in their various roles, made it possible to organise what once again confirms itself as the leading sporting event in our country.”
Monza celebrates a landmark weekend for Italian motorsport
The combination of a record crowd and an Italian winner created a particularly significant weekend for Monza. Sixty years after Ludovico Scarfiotti’s 1966 victory, the home supporters finally had another Italian driver to celebrate on the top step of the podium.
For La Russa, the scale of the event underlined the wider international importance of both the circuit and Italian motorsport.
“Monza is an icon of Italian pride and confirms that our country is playing an increasingly prominent role on the international stage,” he concluded.
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