Sports News

Antonelli wins at Monza from 19th on the grid, Italy's first home winner in 60 years

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Sunday after starting 19th, becoming the first Italian to win his home race since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966. He started near the back after power-unit penalties and finished 3.857 seconds ahead of teammate George Russell, with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull, Al Jazeera reported, using AFP. An early red flag helped his charge.

It was the 20-year-old's seventh win of the season, and Al Jazeera framed it as a step towards becoming Italy's first world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. For the home crowd it softened a bad day for Ferrari: Charles Leclerc crashed out on lap two and Lewis Hamilton finished sixth.

“I'm so happy, I could never have imagined being here today, but we pulled it off.” — Kimi Antonelli, via Al Jazeera

The National, from Abu Dhabi, focused on the title race. Antonelli's lead over Russell grew from 59 to 66 points, with the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid next. It also noted that Alpine's Pierre Gasly started on pole and finished seventh, and that Leclerc crashed at Parabolica after a move that nearly took out Hamilton.

How each outlet framed it

• Al Jazeera (AFP) — history: 60 years since a home winner, and a possible first Italian champion since Ascari.
• The National — the comeback drive, Ferrari's trouble and the growing points gap.

What happened next: Antonelli won the next race too, the Spanish Grand Prix, a week later, Al Jazeera reported.