Kimi Antonelli is still trying to grasp the impact of his victory at the Italian Grand Prix in Formula 1. The Mercedes driver said his phone practically ‘exploded’ with messages after the win in Monza, which he described as the best day of his life.
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Starting from 19th position, Antonelli won one of the most remarkable races of his career, beating teammate George Russell, who started second. The result also opened a 66-point lead over Russell in the championship standings, with nine or ten races remaining, depending on the calendar definition for the season finale.
The reaction was huge also among the tifosi. On the podium, Italian fans sang the name of the twenty-year-old, who became the first Italian driver in sixty years to win a race in his country.
Speaking in an interview with the press before the Spanish GP this weekend, Antonelli said he even had trouble accessing WhatsApp after the victory: “When I opened the app after the race, I received so many messages that the app crashed. So I opened the app and exited without even touching the phone, because it ‘exploded’,” he said laughing.
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Among the messages received were greetings from names like Jannik Sinner, Marco Bezzecchi, and Valentino Rossi. Antonelli highlighted the extent of the support he received: “It was really nice to see so much support, so much enthusiasm, so much excitement. It was very, very nice,” he added.
Despite the euphoria, the Italian driver found a quick way to return to reality. On the Monday following the victory, instead of just enjoying the celebration by resting, he went karting with his team, an experience that, according to Antonelli, helped put the Monza result into perspective.
“Monza, that day as a whole, was very exciting, but for example, going karting on Monday helped me come back down to earth,” Antonelli concluded. For him, the activity served to have fun, train, and remember the journey that led him to that moment.
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