Kimi Antonelli has described the moment he realised victory was possible during his extraordinary Italian Grand Prix comeback, revealing that after the restart he told himself: “I have to win this one.” The Mercedes driver charged from 19th on the grid to first at Monza, becoming the first Italian to win his home Grand Prix since 1966.
The historic triumph delivered what Antonelli described as a dream come true and provided the most memorable victory of his career so far. The Bologna-born driver, who arrived at Monza leading the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, also managed to unite an Italian crowd traditionally dominated by Ferrari supporters behind a Mercedes driver.
Kimi Antonelli reacts to historic Monza victory
Speaking to Sky Sport F1 after winning the Italian Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli was still struggling to comprehend the scale of what he had achieved.
“I never would have thought I’d be here today. It’s crazy. I’m still trying to take in what has just happened,” Antonelli told Italian television.
“I had said that winning here was a dream for me, and today we managed to make it come true.”
The defining moment in Antonelli’s mind came after the race restart. Having already made significant progress from his starting position near the back, the Mercedes driver suddenly realised that victory was genuinely within reach.
“After the restart, when I saw that I was up there at the front, I told myself, ‘I have to win this one today, I have to win this one.’”
“And I’m really happy because it was a fantastic day. And then the support from the fans today was incredible.”
Antonelli ends 60-year wait for Italian Monza winner
The victory carried enormous historical significance. No Italian driver had won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza since Ludovico Scarfiotti triumphed in 1966, making Antonelli’s success the end of a 60-year wait.
Starting 19th made the achievement even more remarkable. Antonelli had been forced towards the back of the grid, but instead of limiting the damage, he produced a spectacular recovery that ultimately took him all the way to victory.
It was the sort of result Antonelli had described as a dream before the weekend. By Sunday evening, that dream had become reality in front of his home crowd.
Monza crowd embraces Antonelli despite Mercedes victory
Before the race, there had been considerable discussion over whether the Monza crowd would be divided between traditional Ferrari supporters and fans backing Italy’s championship-leading youngster.
Instead, the stands united behind Antonelli, perhaps helped by Ferrari’s disastrous home race. The young Italian achieved something that is rarely straightforward at Monza: he convinced a predominantly red crowd to celebrate a Mercedes victory in the Italian Grand Prix.
Antonelli said he could feel that support from inside the car.
“During the race, coming out of the first chicane, I could see the grandstand on the right and I could see that everyone was fired up,” he explained.
“There was incredible energy. So I have to thank all the fans as well because today they gave me that little bit extra.”
For Antonelli, the combination of a 19th-to-first comeback, a home victory and the reaction from the Monza crowd made it a day unlike any other in his career. Sixty years after the previous Italian winner at the country’s home Grand Prix, the wait is finally over.
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