By Mark Gero
Many of the fans who wanted a Ferrari victory might not have received it for their home country, but they got a consolation from Kimi Antonelli, who passed his Mercedes teammate George Russell three laps from the finish of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, to be the first winner from his home country since 1966. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took the last podium place in third.
The two McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, took fourth and fifth, while the only Ferrari driver remaining, Lewis Hamilton, took sixth. Gasly could do no better than seventh in his Alpine, while his teammate, Franco Colapinto finished ninth. The two Racing Bulls completed the top ten with Arvid Lindblad eighth, and Yuki Tsunoda earning his first point of the season in tenth.
Antonelli had to start the race from 19th position, when an engine change caused him to be in the back of the grid. But the home hero from nearby Bologna moved up the grid and by the end of the race, was closing in on Russell, who took the lead from polesitter Pierre Gasly on lap two.
But when Antonelli got closer midway through the race, the two Mercedes drivers traded the lead until Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll pulled off the circuit with a hydraulic issue and brought out a virtual safety car. Many went into the pits for tire changes, including Antonelli, who emerged further back, while Russell remained in the lead with hard rubber.
But Antonelli moved up the grid again and with only a few laps remaining, finally passed Russell, as the Briton began to have trouble with worn tires. The victory for Antonelli was the first by a driver from his home country to win a race at this historic ground in over 60 years.
“Unbelievable! I’m so happy,” said Antonelli. “I could never have imagined to be here today, but we managed to pull it off. It’s a dream coming true. What an incredible day. I couldn’t do it without my team, family and everyone who supports me. Still a few races to go, so we’re going to keep our head down, but now we’re going to enjoy today.”
The tifosi fans did not have a great start, as their home Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc crashed on the second lap coming out of the Parabolica, and put out a red flag for half an hour while marshals needed to fix the barriers. Besides Stroll, the other Aston Martin driver, Fernando Alonso, was the other retirement in the race with car damage.
In what will be the final race of the season in Europe, next week the grid will head to a brand-new circuit near Madrid, Spain, named the Madring, will test the drivers on how the setups will work.
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