ITALY LOWDOWN: All the key moments as Antonelli wins from the back and Ferrari face home struggles

The Italian Grand Prix delivered a thrilling afternoon of racing and an incredible comeback from Kimi Antonelli, who won his home race for the first time from 19th on the grid.

It was not such a positive outing in front of the Tifosi for Ferrari, however, with the Scuderia’s struggles proving to be one of several fascinating talking points that emerged from the event.

Here are all the key moments from the 2026 Italian Grand Prix…

Antonelli’s inspired home win (and Russell’s defeat)

As statement performances go, Kimi Antonelli’s drive to victory at Monza was an incredibly special one.

Heading into the weekend, all the talk on the Italian’s side of the garage was about damage limitation – sweeping power unit changes aboard his Mercedes leading to a hefty 30-place grid penalty.

However, Antonelli had other ideas, blending rapid raw pace and smart overtakes from the outset of Sunday’s race to charge through the field and put himself on the tail of team mate George Russell before the halfway mark.

He was 12th after just a couple of tours when Race Control threw a red flag for Charles Leclerc’s heavy crash, worked his way into the points shortly after the restart, and made an initial move on Russell for the lead on Lap 18.

A mid-race Virtual Safety Car played its part in the intra-team battle, with Antonelli pitting for fresh medium tyres and Russell staying out on used hards, but there was no denying the home racer’s underlying pace. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff even claimed afterwards that “nothing would have stopped him” from taking the chequered flag first.

The result means Antonelli now sits 66 points clear of Russell in the championship standings, only nine points shy of a three-win cushion. It will take some response from the Briton in the coming races to stop the youngster from storming to the 2026 crown…

A ‘devastating’ home race for Ferrari after Lap 1 drama

While Antonelli enjoyed a dream outing in his local Grand Prix, Ferrari’s homecoming proved a much tougher affair.

The team arrived at Monza with high hopes, with Lewis Hamilton admitting on Thursday that he “strongly believed” in the squad’s victory chances at an event where they would be bringing an engine upgrade, while Charles Leclerc stated that he would aim for a “very special weekend”.

This goal hit a snag on Saturday when both drivers were left feeling that the team’s strategy could have been executed more effectively in Qualifying, the session having left the pair in fourth and fifth – which became third and fourth on the grid following a penalty for Oscar Piastri ahead.

When Sunday’s Grand Prix got underway, third-placed Leclerc and Hamilton went wheel-to-wheel into the second corner and Hamilton subsequently ran wide into the gravel, dropping him down the order. “Charles pushed me off!” the seven-time World Champion radioed in.

One lap later, Leclerc’s charge came to an early end when he lost control of his SF-26 and crashed into the barriers, the Monegasque explaining later that he “had to go back off and on throttle” during the first tour and would have to “look into” what happened.

Hamilton, meanwhile, went on to cross the line in only sixth place. The Briton labelled his race as “a bit devastating” and “tough to swallow”, adding of his early incident with Leclerc: “I ended up P10 or something. There's not really much to say. We'll take it offline.”

Gasly delivers the shock of the season with pole

While the advantage of a slipstream in Qualifying meant a surprise result was always possible, no one expected Pierre Gasly and Alpine to snatch an incredible pole position at Monza on Saturday afternoon.

But Gasly's maiden Formula 1 pole position – at a venue where he scored his first and so far only victory six years ago – was no fluke. The Frenchman utilised the Mercedes power unit to go fastest in both Q1 and, when it mattered most, in Q3 to claim arguably the shock of the season.

“I’m so happy. It’s been nine years [in F1] trying to chase and get the opportunity to take pole position," said Gasly after his Qualifying heroics. "I won my first race in Monza, and to get my first pole position on this track… I think is something special around here.”

The prospect of holding out against the top teams over 53 laps in Sunday's race was always going to be a step too far, and so it proved, despite leading the opening lap and circulating amongst the leading runners for a time.

Ultimately, Gasly eventually slipped down to seventh in the final classification, 27 seconds adrift of race winner Antonelli but well clear of the chasing pack.

Team mate Franco Colapinto also reached the points in P9, having run as high as third at the restart. Going off the track at Lesmo 1 dropped him down the order, before a spirited fightback meant he passed Yuki Tsunoda's Racing Bulls in the closing laps.

Colapinto fell short of reaching the second Racing Bulls machine of Arvid Lindblad in P8, but the result means Alpine have closed the gap to the Red Bull sister outfit in their battle for P5 in the teams' standings, with the margin now sitting at 13 points.

Lightning McQueen stars in bumper pre-race show

The Tifosi might not have been thrilled by Ferrari’s final result, but they were certainly given a show before Sunday’s action kicked off, including a special appearance by one of the undisputed greats of racing – Lightning McQueen.

To celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the release of Disney and Pixar’s Cars, McQueen lined up alongside the Safety Car, which sported a Cars-themed livery of its own, before completing an honorary lap ahead of the race.

It marked another chapter in the collaboration between Disney and F1, and it wasn’t just the fans who revelled in McQueen’s run – Liam Lawson, who has shared his love of the film on multiple occasions, paid a visit to him earlier in the weekend and was presented with his very own Piston Cup.

Grid Gigs also returned to add to the pre-race spectacle, with Italian singer Laura Pausini performing an energetic set prior to the drivers’ arrival on the grid.

Duerksen and Lacorte grab wins in Monza as F2 and F3 delight the crowds

Joshua Duerksen won the F2 Feature Race in fine style for Invicta Racing, leading home his team mate Rafael Camara with Campos Racing’s Noel Leon completing the rostrum.

Duerksen also won the Sprint, meaning he has a record-equalling eight wins in F2, the Paraguayan driver having a stunning weekend at Monza. The results lift him to eighth in the championship, with Camara’s podium helping to close the gap to leader Nikola Tsolov.

Tsolov leads by 11 points, with racing set to resume in Madrid next weekend.

In F3, Nicola Lacorte grabbed his maiden victory for DAMS Lucas Oil. It was an emotional win for the Italian on home soil, the 19-year-old coming through from third on the grid to grab his team’s first F3 victory.

MP Motorsport’s Tuukka Taponen and Taito Kato (ART Grand Prix) rounded out the podium, as championship contender Freddie Slater retired with what appeared a mechanical issue. His rival Ugo Ugochukwu fought his way to eighth from the back of the field, to narrow the deficit between the two to just 15 points.

One round remains, with the title set to be decided in Madrid next weekend.