Antonelli reflects on Monza triumph as attention turns to Spanish Grand Prix

Antonelli puts championship talk aside after Monza victory

Kimi Antonelli said at the Spanish Grand Prix on Thursday that he wanted to push any title considerations to the back of his mind and focus on driving, framing last Sunday's Italian Grand Prix win as the high point of his career so far. "I don't really want to drive thinking about championships," the 20-year-old Mercedes driver told reporters in Madrid, adding that the victory at Monza had been "the proof" he was not driving with such thoughts in his head. He described eating spaghetti from the winner's trophy and said his phone had filled with messages including one from MotoGP great Valentino Rossi.

A Monza win built on engine penalties and a long recovery drive

Antonelli started the Italian Grand Prix from 19th on the grid after taking a fresh engine, a tactical choice by Mercedes aimed at Monza's long straights. He climbed to 12th on the opening lap and reached eighth after the standing restart that followed Charles Leclerc's accident, then passed George Russell for the net lead before a virtual safety car on lap 28 handed him the undercut. After briefly sliding through the gravel at the first chicane, Antonelli re-passed Russell and held on to become the first Italian to win the Italian Grand Prix at Monza since 1966, completing the second-greatest recovery in Formula 1 history in terms of on-track passes after John Watson's 1983 Long Beach win from 22nd.

Vettel's praise and a season already laden with results

Antonelli said four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, himself a past Monza winner, had sent supportive messages after the race. The 20-year-old entered the Madrid round with seven race wins and four further podium finishes in 2026, with nine or ten races remaining in the season, a tally that has fueled external talk of him as Formula 1's "next champion" while he insists he is not looking that far ahead. On the Monza podium he noted that Ferrari fans had chanted his name, and he singled out the grandstand on the right of the first chicane, where spectators stood each time he passed in the closing laps.

RaceFans marks the fifth anniversary of Antonelli's first car race

RaceFans noted that five years ago to the day, Antonelli started his first car race, qualifying tenth and finishing ninth in an Italian Formula 4 round at the Red Bull Ring for Prema, a race won by Oliver Bearman, who was hit on the podium by falling signage along with third-placed Sebastian Montoya. RaceFans also flagged that Antonelli had lined up directly behind fellow Italian Leonardo Fornaroli, now the reigning Formula 2 champion and a McLaren test driver. The retrospective piece was posted on the same day Antonelli faced the media in Madrid ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

What comes next at Madrid

Attention now turns to the Spanish Grand Prix weekend at the Madring, with practice and qualifying to follow Antonelli's Thursday media session as Mercedes evaluates whether its Monza form carries over to the new circuit. The next verifiable milestone is the green light for first practice on Friday.