Starting almost at the back of the grid, charging past world champions, and taking the chequered flag at just 20 years old. It sounds impossible right? But yet that is exactly what Kimi Antonelli delivered at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on Sunday.
The Mercedes driver began Sunday’s race in 19th after an engine-component change triggered a grid penalty. What followed was one of the best comeback victories. Antonelli started on the hard tyre and wasted no time. He climbed to 12th by the end of lap two. Moments later, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed heavily at the Parabolica, bringing out a red flag, and that stoppage proved decisive. While the barriers were repaired, the 20-year-old switched to the faster medium compound.
At the restart, he continued his charge, slicing through the midfield and into the lead group. By lap 16, he had cleared seven-time champion Hamilton and four-time champion Verstappen. Two laps later, he completed a bold move on teammate and race leader George Russell to take the lead.
The two Mercedes drivers then traded places several times in the middle of the race. Russell regained control and looked set to stay there on the durable hard tyre. Then a Virtual Safety Car for Lance Stroll’s retirement on lap 28 gave Mercedes a crucial opportunity. The Italian pitted for a fresh set of mediums at almost no cost in time, while Russell stayed out on his older hards.
With superior pace and fresher rubber, Antonelli closed the gap, and he survived a brief off-track moment while attacking Russell. He then made the decisive pass at Ascari on lap 50 and never looked back. He crossed the line 3.8 seconds clear of his teammate.
In front of his home crowd, Antonelli became the first Italian driver to win the Italian Grand Prix since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966, ending a 60-year wait.
Antonelli, who is in his second F1 season, now leads the drivers’ championship with 267 points, 66 clear of Russell.
The greatest F1 comeback
Antonelli came close to rewriting the record books, but the record for winning a Grand Prix from the furthest back on the grid still belongs to John Watson.
Watson started 22nd at the 1983 United States Grand Prix West in Long Beach, just ahead of McLaren teammate Niki Lauda after both struggled with setup and tyre temperature in qualifying. Watson and Lauda produced a remarkable fightback, storming through the field and overtaking nearly 20 cars by lap 28.
Watson passed Lauda on lap 33, then took the lead from Jacques Laffite on lap 45. He controlled the remaining 30 laps and won by nearly 28 seconds. It was Watson’s fifth and final Formula 1 victory, and more than four decades later, it remains the furthest back a driver has started and still won a World Championship Grand Prix.
From Antonelli’s charge from 19th to Watson’s record-breaking rise from 22nd, both drivers have shown that starting at the back of the grid does not mean the race is already lost. There is always something to fight for and, with determination, skill and belief, victory can still be within reach.
