Coulthard: Antonelli's Monza charge ranks 'up there with the greats'

David Coulthard has described Kimi Antonelli's charge from 19th to victory at the Italian Grand Prix as a career-defining performance, placing the Mercedes driver's Monza masterclass alongside the greatest drives in F1 history.

The 20-year-old secured his seventh career grand prix win in front of his home crowd, becoming the first Italian to win at Monza in 60 years.

Why it matters:

Antonelli's stunning drive extends his championship lead to 66 points over team-mate George Russell and proves he can deliver under pressure when the car isn't perfect — the trait that separates good drivers from champions.

The Details:

• Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, Coulthard didn't hold back: "This is up there with the greats."
• Careful comparison: The former F1 driver acknowledged the risk of comparing a 20-year-old with just seven wins to legends like Hamilton, Verstappen, Senna and Schumacher, but insisted the drive deserved it.
• Race craft: "To position your car to keep out of trouble, to do everything that he did... If that was a Schumacher, if that was a Max, if that was a Senna, you would have gone, 'Yeah, of course.'"
• A new level: "That's the best grand prix he's ever driven. We knew he was a winner. We now know he's a racer and a winner."
• Standings: Antonelli leads Russell by 66 points, with Lewis Hamilton a further 10 behind in third.

What's next:

With a commanding championship lead and historic home win behind him, Antonelli heads into the season's final stretch with the title firmly in his sights. The question now isn't whether he can win races — it's whether anyone can stop him.