How Kimi Antonelli surpassed Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher with historic Italian GP victory
Kimi Antonelli managed to surpass Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher in winning the Italian Grand Prix from close to the back of the grid.
Antonelli received a 30-place grid penalty for power unit changes at Monza, relegating him to the rear of the field in what was his home Grand Prix.
The 18-year-old, who leads the Drivers' Championship comfortably ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell, opted to take part in Q3 and even set a representative lap time.
By the time race day arrived, Antonelli made a blistering start to move up to P13 towards the end of the third lap, with Charles Leclerc's heavy crash at Parabolica then bringing out the red flag.
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That red flag period undoubtedly helped him as it meant a second standing start - and the Italian was up to eighth by the end of the next completed lap.
He then picked his way through the field and, by lap 18, had overtaken Russell for the lead of the race.
The two drivers would exchange positions from there, with Mercedes taking the opportunity to pit Antonelli on lap 28 under a virtual safety car.
READ MORE: George Russell's first words to Kimi Antonelli in Italian GP cooldown room speak volumes
That decision ultimately paid off as he was able to attack Russell in the closing laps and, after locking up and sliding into the gravel on his first overtake attempt on lap 49, he sealed the move into Ascari a lap later before pulling clear for an emotional race win.
Kimi Antonelli beats Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher - but one driver is still clear
Though the power unit penalty should have theoretically moved him to 22nd, Antonelli ended up 19th after Alex Albon - who qualified behind him - also took a grid penalty, while Fernando Alonso and Liam Lawson had to start from the pit lane.
It meant that the Italian does not hold the record for the most positions gained in a single Grand Prix.
That feat still belongs to John Watson, who took his McLaren from 22nd to win the US West Grand Prix. Incredibly, Watson's qualifying position was on merit - McLaren simply couldn't get their Michelin tyres in the optimum operating window, and Watson was 3.9 seconds off pole. His team-mate Niki Lauda was 23rd, four seconds off pole. They ended up with a one-two in the race.
Schumacher, meanwhile, rose from 16th to first at the 1995 Belgian Grand Prix, while Hamilton climbed from 14th place at the 2018 German Grand Prix.
The record among current drivers was held by Max Verstappen, who started 18th in Brazil 2024, while former Ferrari and McLaren driver Kimi Raikkonen famously won the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix despite starting from 18th.
'I could never have imagined...' - Kimi Antonelli reacts to Italian GP win
Antonelli's win was the first time he has tasted victory as a Formula 1 driver at his home race and, although the Tifosi were expectant of a Ferrari driver being on the top step of the podium, Antonelli being there instead was a more than good enough consolation.
"I did not expect it and, yeah, grazie a tutti," Antonelli said after the race. "Unbelievable, unbelievable. I'm so happy and I could have never imagined to be here today. But, you know, we managed to pull it off and I'm really, really happy.
"It was quite scary during the moment [when he slid into the gravel, lap 49] because the tarmac was breaking up, but I still thought I could do the corner. But, you know, once I went over a bit of gravel as well, I went straight and I was like, 'Maybe I lost my chance'.
"But then luckily we still had the pace and managed to bring it home."
Topics:Â Mercedes, Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher
Ryan Smart