Kimi Antonelli will arrive at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix as Formula 1 championship leader, becoming the first Italian in 73 years to head to Monza at the top of the standings. Despite an engine-change penalty that will force him to start from deep in the field, three-time world champion Jackie Stewart believes the Mercedes driver’s speed, maturity and the passion of the home crowd can give him an additional boost.
The Italian has turned championship dreams into a genuine reality with a remarkably consistent campaign. He heads to Monza with a 59-point advantage over his closest rivals, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, and an 83-point margin over the driver considered potentially the biggest threat in the longer term, Lando Norris.
Kimi Antonelli arrives at Monza as F1 championship leader
Kimi Antonelli has impressed throughout the season with a combination of exceptional performances and consistency. There are still areas to refine over a single qualifying lap, as Zandvoort demonstrated, but his race pace has repeatedly proved formidable.
Now that he has also addressed his problems at race starts, Antonelli can approach Monza determined to attack from Turn 1. However, the Italian will have to begin the race from the back after Mercedes opted for an engine change, creating a major challenge as he attempts to avoid losing too many points in the 2026 Formula 1 championship standings.
The power unit change is a calculated decision by Mercedes, with Antonelli set to receive a fresh engine for his home Grand Prix. The team hopes the move will help address reliability concerns without adding performance, with the new Mercedes power unit focused on reliability at Monza.
Jackie Stewart praises Kimi Antonelli’s speed and maturity
Jackie Stewart, who won at Monza twice in 1965 and 1969, has been hugely impressed by Antonelli and believes the 20-year-old possesses qualities that are rare even among Formula 1’s most talented young drivers.
“Kimi is doing an amazing job,” Jackie Stewart said in comments reported by Autosprint. “He is showing that he is extremely fast, but not only that. He also has a level of maturity that is very rare in drivers of his age, and that is a characteristic he should be particularly proud of, because it is the most difficult one to have.”
Stewart also believes the atmosphere at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza could help Antonelli as he attempts to recover from his grid penalty in front of the Italian fans.
“I’m sure the passion he will feel around him at the Autodromo will give him an additional boost, and without doubt he deserves every bit of it.”
Antonelli can end a 60-year wait for an Italian Monza winner
Not since Alberto Ascari has an Italian driver arrived at his home Grand Prix leading the Formula 1 World Championship. Seventy-three years later, Antonelli now finds himself in that position as he prepares for one of the most significant races of his young career.
To find the last Monza weekend at which an Italian was genuinely in championship contention, it is necessary to go back to 1985. That race proved bitterly disappointing for Michele Alboreto and Ferrari, helping swing the title battle towards Alain Prost.
Antonelli also has the opportunity to put the Italian flag back on the top step of the Monza podium for the first time in 60 years. The last Italian to win the Italian Grand Prix was Ludovico Scarfiotti, who triumphed for Ferrari in 1966.
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