Kimi Antonelli kept everything under control for 53 laps at Monza. Starting from 19th, the Mercedes driver carved his way through the field, caught George Russell, passed his team-mate and won the 2026 Italian Grand Prix to make Formula 1 history. Then he crossed the finish line — and the composure disappeared.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe it! Thank you guys, thanks for the support, oh my God!” Antonelli exclaimed over the team radio. His voice changed, began to break and the tears followed as the scale of what he had just achieved finally sank in.
Kimi Antonelli breaks down after historic Monza victory
The emotion did not disappear when the 20-year-old from Bologna climbed out of his Mercedes. It returned again on the podium when Antonelli heard the Italian national anthem in front of the Monza crowd.
The Kimi Antonelli victory ended a wait that had lasted six decades. No Italian driver had won the Italian Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti triumphed at Monza in 1966.
Antonelli therefore did not simply win his home race. He became the first Italian in 60 years to stand on the top step of the podium at the country’s Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Antonelli’s emotional team radio after Italian GP win
The emotional explosion came only after the chequered flag. Until then, Antonelli had driven a race almost completely opposite to what had seemed possible before the start.
A power unit change penalty had dropped the championship leader to 19th on the grid. Rather than thinking about victory, the apparent objective was simply to limit the damage to his advantage in the Formula 1 drivers’ standings.
Antonelli did exactly the opposite.
He recovered position after position, exploiting the pace of the Mercedes until he reached George Russell. In the closing stages, Antonelli overtook his team-mate as well and went on to win by 3.857 seconds. Max Verstappen completed the podium in third.
Only then did the almost shouted “I can’t believe it” come over the radio. It was not a prepared line or a carefully planned celebration. It was the immediate reaction of a driver who only seconds earlier had still been concentrating on tyres, energy management and the gaps around him.
Kimi Antonelli in tears during Italian national anthem
The emotion continued during the podium ceremony. Antonelli tried to compose himself, but standing above the Monza pit straight in front of the Italian fans, the tears returned.
There was nothing left to manage. In front of him were the grandstands packed with home supporters; behind him was an extraordinary comeback that had begun almost at the very back of the grid.
The moment provided perhaps the most accurate image of Antonelli’s entire Sunday. Throughout the race, he had been the World Championship leader who made virtually no mistakes under immense pressure.
Once he crossed the finish line, he was simply Kimi again: 20 years old, Italian and a winner at Monza. At that point, controlling the tears became much more difficult.
Monza crowd celebrates Antonelli’s Mercedes victory
The celebrations also underlined the unusual atmosphere surrounding Antonelli’s home race. Before the weekend, many expected the Monza crowd to be divided between Ferrari supporters and those backing Italy’s young championship leader.
Instead, with Ferrari enduring a disastrous afternoon, the grandstands united behind Antonelli. The Mercedes driver achieved something that is rarely easy at Monza: convincing a traditionally red crowd to celebrate a Mercedes victory in the Italian Grand Prix.
After starting 19th, climbing through the field and defeating George Russell on his way to victory, Antonelli had rewritten a piece of Italian Formula 1 history. His tears after the chequered flag showed exactly how much that achievement meant.
