Kimi Antonelli secured a memorable victory at the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix in Monza, after starting from 19th on the grid. The result also delivered Mercedes a one-two finish, with George Russell crossing the line in second place.
The Italian highlighted the significance of his win in front of his home crowd and stated that he believed victory was possible even from the back of the grid: “This is a day I will remember forever! It’s definitely the most special win of my career so far,” Antonelli said.
Make RallyBuzz your go-to source for Formula 1 news on Google and also on Google Discover.
He had already gained several positions on the opening lap and was given another chance after the red flag. Even though he dropped back a few positions during the Virtual Safety Car, Antonelli explained that the pace of the medium tires allowed him to regain ground and reach the victory: “I felt I had the speed to fight for the win,” he said.
Russell finished second and admitted his frustration at coming so close to victory, but highlighted the result achieved by the team. According to the Brit, the Virtual Safety Car was decisive, and Mercedes chose to split the strategy between the two cars: “The team chose to split the strategy between the two cars and that was the best decision we could have taken,” he added.
Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes, described the race as ‘phenomenal’ and highlighted the performance of both drivers, who, in his view, were ‘comfortably faster than the rest of the grid’. The executive also explained that the team did not expect Antonelli’s first set of medium tires to last until the end, while Russell followed a conventional strategy and faced vibrations in the front tires in the final laps, which slightly limited his pace.
