Kimi Antonelli's stunning charge from 19th to victory at Monza was a testament to his talent, but according to McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, it may also say something about how easy overtaking has become in this era of Formula One. 

During the Italian Grand Prix on September 6th, Kimi Antonelli put on a spectacular performance. He started the race in 19th after a grid penalty but carved his way through the field in just 18 laps and held off his teammate George Russell to win the race.

Post-race, while talking to Sky Sports, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella praised his fellow Italian for the amazing drive before explaining why the drive wasn't such a surprise. 

"It wasn’t so unlikely, considering the pace he showed in practice and that overtaking is possible with this generation of cars. Perhaps it’s even become too easy, considering today’s race." Stella said during the interview with Sky Sports Germany.

Stella was talking about F1's 2026 regulations, which have made overtaking notably easier at power-heavy tracks like Monza thanks to the extra boost from "Overtake Mode." 

Cars could pass almost effortlessly but often couldn't hold the position as their battery drained, a pattern dubbed "yo-yo racing."

Despite Monza's layout seeming built for overtaking, the track had struggled to produce much genuine wheel-to-wheel racing in recent years, a trend the 2026 rules appear to have reversed. 

Stella went on to describe how the race played out on track. 

"It was a spectacle and certainly entertaining, but also tense at times – between the two Mercedes and in the final laps between the two McLarens. It was an interesting race, a new kind of racing."

For Antonelli, that dynamic worked in his favor at Monza, turning a grid penalty into one of the most dramatic wins of his career. 

Kimi Antonelli calls Monza win a 'Dream coming true'

Kimi Antonelli's stunning drive from 19th to first at his home Italian Grand Prix left him struggling to process what he'd just done.

Antonelli climbed to 12th once the race resumed after the red flag, then battled teammate George Russell for the lead in the laps that followed. A pit stop under a mid-race Virtual Safety Car gave him fresher tires, which he used to reel in and pass Russell with four laps remaining. 

"Unbelievable, I'm so happy and I could never have imagined to be here today but we managed to pull it off and I'm really happy," said Antonelli immediately after the race, as reported by Formula1 on their website. "It's a dream coming true". 

The win carried extra weight given his history at the track. Two years earlier, his first F1 outing ended in a crash at the Parabolica just 10 minutes into FP1, making Sunday's result feel like a full-circle moment.

The win was the first for an Italian at Monza 1966, and stretched his championship lead over Russell to 66 points.

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco