Kimi Antonelli names best F1 victory after whirlwind title success

Kimi Antonelli has selected his historic victory at the Italian Grand Prix as the best of the nine wins which sealed the 2026 drivers' title.

Antonelli claimed the crown with third place in Mexico City to become the youngest F1 champion at 20 years, 2 months, 7 days, following nine wins in the 19 races it took to win the title. 

He took five wins on the trot between the Chinese and Monaco Grands Prix, including a grand chelem in the Principality, but it was his seventh win of the season at Monza, Antonelli pinpointed as his best.

In front of his home crowd, Antonelli started from 19th following a back-of-the-grid engine-change penalty, but stormed through the field to defeat team-mate George Russell and take a commanding victory in front of the Tifosi.

Antonelli became the first Italian in 60 years to win at Monza, since Ludovico Scarfiotti won the 1966 race for Ferrari on his way to becoming the heir to Alberto Ascari, who had taken the country's last drivers' title in 1953.

Reflecting, Antonelli named his Monza triumph as his best win, although he also singled out the Belgian Grand Prix - 12 months on from his nadir at Spa, and being left visibly emotional following a difficult weekend.

"It is difficult to say," Antonelli told media, including RacingNews365, when asked which victory was his best.

"I think the best one is yet to come, as always. But if I had to pick one, I would say my home race; it was a very, very special one. 

"Then, of course, the first race. The first one is always very, very special, and I think all of them have been very special and very unique in their own ways. 

"I think I rate Spa as being a very special one because Spa was probably last year my toughest moment in my career, and coming to this year and winning at a track where I was probably at my lowest, that was very special. 

"So, I think all of them have been very special, and hopefully a more special one is coming on its way.

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Antonelli's damage limitation

When then asked to name the biggest moment of the season, Antonelli pinpointed his consistency, with just one performance-related finish off the podium before winning the title, coming through a fifth-place finish in Azerbaijan after breaking his suspension by hitting a wall in Q1 in qualifying. 

"I think it's really hard to pick one. I think the main thing was the consistency we've had during the whole season because even when it was looking a bit rough, we still managed to do a decent result, managed to do some damage limitation," he said.

"That has been the key, always been there. And also, I think enjoying every weekend, enjoying the weekends, facing the weekend and going to the weekend with passion and love for the sport, for what I do, and just trying as well to appreciate every moment. 

"[Mexico City] was very difficult emotionally as well. It hasn't been easy, but I still tried to appreciate the day, coming to the track having that feeling that it could have been the day, and also the feeling on the grid. 

"I've been really trying to enjoy every moment, and that has been the thing of the season for me with the team. Just taking it race by race and enjoying the weekend on and off the track, enjoying the time with the mechanics, with the engineers and with everyone involved, because at the end, I've still got to remember that I'm very lucky to do what I love to do as a profession."