Kimi Antonelli’s extraordinary Italian Grand Prix victory reportedly caused considerable discomfort among Ferrari’s senior leadership after the Scuderia endured one of its poorest home-race performances of recent years. While the Mercedes driver produced a remarkable charge from 19th on the grid to win at Monza, Charles Leclerc crashed out and Lewis Hamilton could manage only sixth place.
The contrast could hardly have been more uncomfortable for Ferrari. According to well-connected Formula 1 paddock sources cited by The Race, the combination of the team’s collapse and Antonelli’s heroics did not go down well with senior figures inside the company. Several leading executives were present at Monza, including Ferrari chairman John Elkann, as the Italian manufacturer watched another homegrown star become the centre of attention in front of the Tifosi.
Ferrari leadership reportedly unhappy after Kimi Antonelli’s Monza triumph
Ferrari collected only eight points from the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, its third-lowest haul at Monza under the current Formula 1 points system. The only worse returns came in 2019, when both cars retired, and 2014, when Kimi Räikkönen scored the team’s only points with ninth place.
The result can also be compared with other difficult Ferrari weekends at its home circuit. In 2008, the team finished sixth and ninth, while its cars were only 10th and 12th in 2005. Against that historical backdrop, the 2026 race represented another deeply disappointing Monza performance.
What made it particularly painful was what happened at the front. Antonelli delivered a victory for the ages for Mercedes after starting 19th, becoming the focus of an emotional Italian celebration while Ferrari struggled to make an impact at its own home Grand Prix.
The reaction from the grandstands was especially striking. There is reportedly a feeling that Antonelli has begun to capture the hearts of the Tifosi, with the post-race celebrations providing a powerful visual example. Supporters beneath the podium serenaded the Italian driver with the famous song Volare as he celebrated his victory.
Those scenes inevitably raise questions about Ferrari’s traditionally dominant emotional connection with Italian Formula 1 fans. Before the race, the issue of where the Tifosi’s loyalties might lie at Monza had already emerged as a talking point, and Antonelli’s victory intensified that discussion.
Charles Leclerc crash and Hamilton clash worsen Ferrari’s home race
The lowest moment of Ferrari’s race came when Charles Leclerc crashed out, but the team’s afternoon had already become complicated in the opening stages. Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton became involved in an intra-team battle at the first chicane, where Hamilton attempted to overtake his team-mate before ending up in the gravel.
The incident cost the seven-time world champion six positions and immediately compromised his race. Hamilton was able to recover some ground after the restart, but Ferrari never showed the performance required to fight the leading teams.
By the finish, the SF-26 appeared to be only the fourth-quickest package. Hamilton crossed the line behind both Mercedes cars, both McLarens and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, leaving sixth place as Ferrari’s only points-scoring result after Leclerc’s retirement.
The outcome was particularly disappointing because Monza was the weekend on which Ferrari introduced its long-awaited ADUO 2 Power Unit development. The upgrade had been a major focus heading into the Italian Grand Prix, with Maranello working on areas including the turbocharger in an attempt to improve the package. ScuderiaFans previously examined how Ferrari’s ADUO-2 turbo development targeted compressor efficiency.
The broader significance of the update went beyond a simple peak horsepower figure, with the SF-26 Power Unit development focused on overall efficiency. However, Ferrari’s Monza result ensured that the sporting outcome overshadowed much of the technical anticipation surrounding the new specification.
Lewis Hamilton points towards leadership after Ferrari disappointment
After the race, Hamilton appeared to put greater emphasis on the importance of leadership inside Ferrari. The British driver has consistently supported team principal Fred Vasseur, but his post-Monza comments suggested he believes clearer direction is required.
Hamilton explained that responsibility ultimately begins at the top of an organisation and then filters down through the team. While discussing the need for defined rules of engagement between Ferrari’s drivers, he indicated that Vasseur has a central role and acknowledged that there is a limit to how much a driver can influence matters simply by repeatedly pushing for change.
The comments came after a race in which the relationship between Hamilton and Leclerc was already under scrutiny following their opening-lap confrontation. For Ferrari, establishing how its two drivers should race one another has therefore become another issue alongside the more fundamental challenge of improving outright performance.
Hamilton’s situation and his attempts to shape Ferrari’s direction remain a major theme of his second season at Maranello, while Leclerc’s Monza retirement added another difficult chapter to his campaign. The latest developments around both drivers can be followed through ScuderiaFans’ Charles Leclerc coverage.
Fred Vasseur faces renewed pressure despite Ferrari contract
A high-profile failure at Ferrari’s home Grand Prix naturally increases scrutiny of the team principal, even though Fred Vasseur is contracted through the end of 2027. The fact that the disappointing weekend unfolded in front of Ferrari’s senior management only heightens the significance of the result.
The Race also reported that John Elkann had made a personal approach to Christian Horner several years ago, while the Briton was still leading Red Bull. Horner rejected that approach at the time.
He is now available, however, which means his name represents a high-profile alternative for Ferrari or other Formula 1 organisations should they ever decide to change leadership. The report nevertheless makes clear that there is currently no imminent prospect of Horner moving to Maranello.
That distinction is important. Vasseur remains Ferrari’s team principal and is under contract, while the reference to Horner relates to a previous approach and his present availability rather than an active or impending change.
Antonelli’s success creates an uncomfortable Monza contrast for Ferrari
The biggest issue for Ferrari after Monza may ultimately be the contrast between its own weekend and the celebration surrounding Antonelli. The Scuderia arrived at its home Grand Prix with its senior leadership present, a major Power Unit update and the expectation of delivering something meaningful in front of its supporters.
Instead, one Ferrari crashed, the other finished sixth and an Italian Mercedes driver produced the defining performance of the weekend. Antonelli’s victory from 19th transformed him into the hero of the Monza crowd and created precisely the sort of emotional moment Ferrari normally hopes to own at its home race.
For a company whose identity is inseparable from Italian motorsport culture, watching the Tifosi celebrate another Italian driver so enthusiastically was always going to carry additional weight. According to the paddock sources behind the report, Ferrari’s senior figures were well aware of those optics.
The Scuderia now has to respond on track. Whatever significance is ultimately attached to Antonelli’s growing popularity, Ferrari’s more immediate concern is restoring the competitiveness and operational strength required to ensure future home Grands Prix are remembered for what happens in red rather than for the success of a rival.
