Overview
- Kimi Antonelli won the Italian Grand Prix from 19th on the grid on Sunday, with team-mate George Russell second to give Mercedes a 1–2 finish and Max Verstappen third.
- Antonelli started at the back after fitting an extra power unit beyond his season allocation, a change that triggers grid-place penalties under the FIA rules.
- A red flag early in the race and a later Virtual Safety Car created a low-cost pit window that let Antonelli switch to fresher medium tyres and close on Russell before passing in the closing laps.
- The weekend exposed team tensions: Toto Wolff said he nearly ordered Mercedes to stop the Antonelli–Russell fight, stewards called Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s first-lap contact a racing incident as Frédéric Vasseur said he will discuss team orders, and McLaren confirmed a review of a late Norris–Piastri clash.
- The result widened Antonelli’s lead to 66 points over Russell and sharpened strategic choices for rivals about when to take engine penalties and when to bring upgrades for the remaining rounds.