Kimi Antonelli’s sensational win from the back of the grid in the Italian Grand Prix was thanks to a great drive, but perhaps also a little help from strategy and a timely virtual safety car.
The Italian was the only Mercedes driver to make a pitstop during the race – and ultimately defeated his team-mate and championship rival George Russell.
Mercedes split the strategies between its drivers, putting Antonelli on mediums after the early red flag. That was the only option for the Italian to go to the end without stopping, having started the race on hards. Russell, on the other hand, started on mediums and switch
