Kimi Antonelli wins Italian GP from P19: Naomi Schiff hails 'generational talent'

Kimi Antonelli produced one of the most impressive comeback drives of the 2026 Formula 1 season by winning the Italian Grand Prix at Monza from 19th on the grid. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver took advantage of a mid-race virtual safety car to switch to fresh medium tyres, then chased down team-mate George Russell, who stayed out on older hard tyres, to seal an emotional home victory. Sky Sports F1 pundit Naomi Schiff was full of praise for the young Italian. She described him as a 'generational talent' and highlighted how he not only climbed through the field but also repeated that process after his pit stop before taking the win in front of the Tifosi. Schiff admitted she would have felt deflated if she had been Russell and saw Antonelli closing in. The Monza victory was Antonelli's seventh career grand prix win. In only his second F1 season, he previously became the youngest driver to lead the standings after back-to-back wins in China and Japan. He added four more wins before the summer break and now holds a 66-point advantage over Russell. The result also raises strategic questions for Mercedes about whether to let its drivers race freely or potentially prioritise Antonelli's title bid. For now, Monza has given the Italian a defining moment and sent a warning to the rest of the grid.