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Kimi Antonelli wins Italian Grand Prix

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Sam Ahn | Last updated Sep 6, 2026 3:10 PM ET

Kimi Antonelli on Sunday stormed back from P19 to win the Italian Grand Prix at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Italy. Antonelli’s win made him the first Italian to win the race since 1966.

Rounding out the podium were George Russell and Max Verstappen.

In what many considered a must-win race, Russell underwhelmed. Despite leading for a majority of the race — and despite Antonelli starting from the back of the grid due to a power unit penalty — Russell saw Antonelli speed past him on lap 50. Antonelli now leads Russell by 66 points in the drivers’ standings.

Ferrari had a disastrous weekend at its home race. After Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton went wheel-to-wheel on the opening lap, causing Hamilton to tumble down the standings, Leclerc lost control of his car on lap 2 and crashed out of the race.

Toda de Charles.

Lo pierde solo, nadie lo toca; por lo que alcanzo a ver pisa esa rejilla de drenaje sobre esa zona y el coche se le "resbala", intenta corregirlo y adiós.

A unos 250 km/h el palo, de bastantes fuerzas G el golpe lateral, gracias al cielo y a la altísima…
— Alonso, the Racer (@alonso_theracer) September 6, 2026

Eventually, Hamilton was able to salvage the weekend with a P6 finish.

McLaren, which came into the race with consecutive victories, saw Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finish 4th and 5th, respectively. The long straights and chicanes of the Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit exposed a weakness for McLaren.

Finally, former Red Bull and current Alpine driver Pierre Gasly qualified for his first career pole position and finish 7th.

Ten races remain, but time is quickly running out for Russell. With Antonelli continuing to secure podiums and widening his lead, it seems as though he may secure the championship by Las Vegas.

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