Antonelli writes Monza fairytale with sensational charge from P19 to victory

George Russell claimed victory at the Italian Grand Prix, while Kimi Antonelli completed a remarkable comeback from 19th on the grid to finish second. Charles Leclerc's race, meanwhile, ended in heartbreak following a heavy crash in the opening laps. Here is the full recap of the race at Monza.

Pierre Gasly made a strong start from pole position at Monza, keeping George Russell behind through the opening corners as the Italian Grand Prix immediately produced plenty of action further down the field.

The biggest drama involved the two Ferrari drivers. Charles Leclerc forced Lewis Hamilton slightly off track during their opening-lap battle, sending the Briton down to tenth place. Hamilton was unhappy with the incident and complained over team radio that his teammate had pushed him off the track.

Gasly's spell at the front did not last long, however. Russell completed the move for the lead at the end of the opening lap, while Leclerc also managed to overtake the Alpine before surrendering the position again shortly afterwards.

Ferrari's afternoon then took a dramatic turn on lap three. Leclerc lost control of his car at very high speed through the Parabolica and crashed heavily, bringing his Italian Grand Prix to an early end.

The severity of the impact left the tyre barriers damaged and forced race control to suspend the race with a red flag. It took around 20 minutes for the necessary repairs to be completed before the race could get back underway.

At the restart, Russell held on to the lead, while Colapinto made a strong getaway before running wide into the gravel and losing several positions. Hamilton, meanwhile, made up significant ground to return to the top five, overtaking Piastri for fourth place. Gasly remained second, with Verstappen running third.

On lap seven, Verstappen overtook Gasly to move into second place, while Antonelli continued his remarkable recovery by passing Norris for sixth, just behind Hamilton. Gasly began to struggle on lap 10, losing three positions in a single lap to Hamilton, Piastri and Antonelli, dropping to sixth place.

Verstappen made his move on lap 12 after closing a gap of several seconds in a short space of time, overtaking Russell to take the lead of the race. Three laps later, however, Russell reclaimed the position, while Antonelli also found a way past the Dutchman to move into second and begin his pursuit of the race leader.

Antonelli completed the move on lap 18 to take the lead of the race, leaving his teammate with no chance to respond. In the following laps, the two Mercedes drivers traded positions several times in a thrilling battle, gradually pulling clear of Verstappen behind them.

With the two Mercedes drivers on different strategies, Antonelli began closing in on Russell on much fresher tyres, while his teammate stayed out until the end on significantly more worn rubber. Antonelli caught Russell with five laps remaining and completed the overtake, only to make a mistake and run into the gravel, forcing him to begin his pursuit all over again.

Shortly afterwards, Antonelli caught Russell once more and this time made the move stick, retaking the lead and ultimately going on to claim victory. Behind them, Verstappen and Piastri fought hard for the final place on the podium, with the Dutchman eventually coming out on top.