Mercedes did not simply leave Monza with a dominant one-two finish. After Kimi Antonelli produced a remarkable victory from 19th on the grid in the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, the German manufacturer also used social media to underline the contrast between its success and Ferrari’s difficult afternoon at its home race.
Antonelli completed an extraordinary recovery to win in front of the Italian crowd, with George Russell finishing second to secure a maximum result for Mercedes. Ferrari experienced almost the complete opposite: Charles Leclerc retired following a heavy accident at Parabolica, while Lewis Hamilton recovered only as far as sixth after losing ground at the opening chicane.
Mercedes dominates Monza as Kimi Antonelli charges from 19th
Antonelli had started the Italian Grand Prix from 19th position after receiving a power unit penalty, leaving the Mercedes driver with an enormous amount of work to do. Yet his comeback was already well under way before the race was interrupted by the red flag caused by Leclerc’s crash.
The Italian had gained seven positions by that point and continued moving through the field following the restart. His progress eventually brought him into contention with team-mate Russell, who had started from second place and spent a large part of the race at the front.
The decisive strategic moment arrived under the Virtual Safety Car. Mercedes divided its approach between the two cars, bringing Antonelli into the pits while leaving Russell on track. Although the decision initially appeared to favour the British driver, Antonelli’s fresher tyres became increasingly important during the closing stages.
He closed the gap and eventually passed Russell only a few laps before the chequered flag, completing one of the most remarkable recoveries of the season. The victory also increased Antonelli’s championship advantage over his Mercedes team-mate to 66 points.
The scale of his performance was particularly striking from a Ferrari perspective. Lewis Hamilton had a first-hand view of Antonelli’s progress through the field as Mercedes turned the Italian Grand Prix into one of its most successful weekends of the 2026 campaign.
Ferrari’s Italian GP goes wrong almost immediately
For the Scuderia, hopes of delivering a major result in front of the tifosi disappeared almost as quickly as Mercedes’ challenge developed. Charles Leclerc crashed heavily at Parabolica on lap two, ending his race and triggering the red flag.
Lewis Hamilton had started fourth but was also compromised almost immediately. An incident at the first chicane cost the seven-time world champion valuable positions, forcing him into a recovery drive rather than allowing him to fight with the leading cars.
Hamilton eventually finished sixth, leaving Ferrari without a podium at Monza while Mercedes occupied the top two positions. The result added to a weekend in which the SF-26 struggled to match its rival’s performance, with Ferrari’s energy deployment, strategy and execution difficulties at Monza all contributing to a disappointing home Grand Prix.
The setback also had consequences for Hamilton’s championship campaign. The British driver left Monza further behind Antonelli, increasing the importance of the remaining races as Ferrari attempts to recover from one of its most difficult Sundays of the season. A closer look at the title situation can be found in our analysis of Lewis Hamilton’s championship position after Monza.
Mercedes Monza message highlights Ferrari contrast
Mercedes then added another talking point after the chequered flag. A celebratory social-media graphic published by Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-Benz Italia focused not only on Antonelli becoming the first Italian driver to win at Monza in 60 years, but also on the fact that he had achieved the feat driving a German car.
The post welcomed Antonelli home while presenting his success as the combination of an exceptional Italian driver and Mercedes machinery. That wording immediately attracted attention because of where the victory had taken place and the identity of the team that had just suffered a difficult afternoon.
For many fans, the emphasis on an Italian triumph being achieved with a German car carried an obvious competitive edge towards Ferrari. The Prancing Horse traditionally arrives at its home Grand Prix under enormous expectation, making Mercedes’ one-two finish and Antonelli’s historic success particularly significant.
The timing sharpened the contrast further. Ferrari had entered the Monza weekend hoping for a strong performance on home soil, yet left with Leclerc out of the race and Hamilton only sixth. Mercedes, by comparison, celebrated a one-two led by an Italian driver who had started just one place from the back of the grid.
Antonelli’s comeback therefore produced more than another victory in the championship fight. It created one of the defining images of the 2026 Italian Grand Prix: an Italian winning at Monza for Mercedes while Ferrari watched its home race unravel. The full collection of reports and analysis from the weekend is available in our 2026 Italian Grand Prix coverage.
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