Sports · updated 1h ago · 3 min read
Kimi Antonelli Wins Italian Grand Prix at Monza After Comeback From 19th
Antonelli won the Italian Grand Prix from 19th on the grid. Started 19th after an engine penalty.
How far Hamilton remains in the title race.
10 of 12 outlets skipped it: hamilton claims Charles pushed him out at Turn 1.
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The Independent
“Hamilton believes he can no longer catch Kimi Antonelli in the F1 world championship race”Read the original ↗
Formula 1
“It will take some response from the Briton in the coming races to stop the youngster from storming to the 2026 crown”Read the original ↗
The Independent stresses Hamilton cannot catch Antonelli. Formula 1 keeps the title talk conditional on future response.
Monza shocks and crash
Kimi Antonelli won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Sunday after a comeback from 19th on the grid, defeating Mercedes teammate George Russell while Max Verstappen finished third.
“Antonelli completed a remarkable comeback to win his home Italian Grand Prix from 19th place”
The race’s turning point came early when Charles Leclerc crashed on lap two at Parabolica, bringing out a red flag for lengthy barrier repairs and leaving Leclerc “escaping unhurt but bringing out the red flag for lengthy barrier repairs.”
Lewis Hamilton’s Monza ended with a sixth-place finish after he was forced into the gravel by Leclerc on the first lap, and he later described the day as “a bit devastating” and “tough to swallow.”
Antonelli’s climb accelerated after the restart, when he was already up to the points and then used a mid-race Virtual Safety Car to pit for fresh medium tyres while Russell stayed out on used hards, setting up the final surge.
By the closing laps, Antonelli caught Russell and made the race-winning move with three laps to go, while Verstappen held off the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to claim third.
Hamilton, Wolff, and boos
Lewis Hamilton said he could no longer catch Kimi Antonelli in the F1 world championship race after Monza disappointment, adding that “It’s too late.”
Toto Wolff framed Antonelli’s Monza win as inevitable, saying “because he’s going to walk on water here in Monza.”
The Independent described Hamilton’s Monza as a day where he dropped down the order after a tangle with Charles Leclerc, recovered to fourth, then finished sixth after his team opted not to pit him during a mid-race VSC period.T
The Guardian reported that Antonelli’s victory ended Italy’s 60-year wait for a home F1 win at Monza, while also noting that George Russell had been booed by Italian fans as Antonelli claimed the improbable win.
In the same Monza weekend, Carlos Sainz said after finishing 13th that he was “happy to see Charles unharmed after such a big accident,” and Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur said the most important thing was that “Charles is okay.”
Standings shift and next steps
The result extended Antonelli’s lead in the championship, with The Independent saying Hamilton now trails the 20-year-old Italian by 76 points with 10 rounds remaining, while Sky Sports put Antonelli 66 points ahead of Russell after Monza.
“It means Antonelli is 66 points ahead of Russell in the Drivers' Championship”
Al Jazeera-style stakes aren’t relevant here, but the sources do show that the Monza outcome immediately reshaped the title fight, with The Independent stating Antonelli extended his lead in the standings and Eurosport describing Antonelli as “creuse l'écart au championnat.”
The Guardian also tied the Monza comeback to Russell’s title hopes, writing that Russell had gone into the weekend expecting to claw something back from his teammate’s 59-point lead but was now 66 in arrears.
Looking ahead, The Independent said Hamilton’s focus shifted to the remaining rounds after Monza, while also quoting Fred Vasseur that “Our focus now immediately switches to next weekend and the new Madrid circuit.”T
Even with Ferrari’s setbacks, the sources show the championship context tightening: Sky Sports listed Verstappen’s fifth podium of 2026 and placed Norris and Piastri behind Antonelli, while The Independent reported Antonelli’s seventh win of the season and his lead over Russell.T