Kimi Antonelli is battling a 60-year Monza curse as F1 hits Italian Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli is battling a 60-year Monza curse as F1 hits Italian Grand Prix

History is not on his side

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Wednesday 2 September 2026 11:05

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Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli has been nothing short of a revelation so far in 2026, but the young F1 prodigy will have to overcome a 60-year curse if he wants to win his home race at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend.

Two years on from that 52g crash in FP1 in his first official F1 session with Mercedes, Antonelli is now on track to become the youngest world champion the sport has ever seen.

The Italian star, who only turned 20 last month, currently tops the drivers' standings after 12 rounds of the campaign, holding a healthy 59-point lead over George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in second and third, respectively.

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Antonelli finished P9 in his first-ever Italian Grand Prix last season, and this time around he is set for an FIA penalty due to going over his allotted limit of power unit parts. However, while that penalty is undoubtedly a setback, history is also not on the young Italian's side.

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Kimi Antonelli facing 60-year Monza curse

The Italian Grand Prix has a long history dating all the way back to 1921, with early editions having been held in various locations, but its permanent home has been Monza since 1949, with 1980 being the only time it was held elsewhere (Imola) since, due to track refurbishments.

In the years between 1922 and 1952, 14 Italian Grands Prix were won by a driver or drivers from Italy. However, in the 30 years that followed, only one Italian driver won the Italian Grand Prix - Ludovico Scarfiotti for Ferrari in 1966.

Remarkably, Scarfiotti is the last Italian driver to win the Italian Grand Prix, and that is the weight of 60 years of history facing Antonelli this time around.

Indeed, while Elio de Angelis and Riccardo Patrese both won the San Marino Grand Prix in Italy during their careers, no Italian driver has stood on the top step after an F1 race at Monza in six decades.

Michele Alboreto came closest to snapping the curse on two occasions. In 1984, he finished second in his Ferrari to McLaren's Niki Lauda, while in 1988, Alboreto once again came home in P2, this time just over half a second behind Ferrari team-mate Gerhard Berger.

In 1992, another driver came close again, with Patrese having led the race with just six laps to go before suffering a hydraulic issue that year and finishing P5. In the decades that followed, the only Italian driver to even get on the podium was Giancarlo Fisichella in 2005 when he finished third for Renault at Monza.

Antonelli - Italy's new hope, but not this year..

Fast forward to 2026, and Antonelli is now Italy's next hope at snapping that unwanted Monza curse. Still, even he has been dealt a major blow ahead of the action.

While his form this year would have undoubtedly made him a contender for the Italian Grand Prix victory, Mercedes have confirmed that Antonelli is set to take a grid penalty at his home race.

With changes coming to his power unit at Monza, Antonelli is set to exceed the allotted power unit components that he can take penalty-free, with the young star set to start all the way from the back of the grid as a result.

It's a brutal blow for the Italian fans hoping Antonelli could end the long wait for a home winner at Monza, but Mercedes chief Toto Wolff summed it up perfectly.

"It's disappointing for him and for the fans, who want to see him fight at the front in his home race, but this sport doesn't reward sentiment," he said.

Antonelli's focus will now be on his recovery and scoring maximum points in Italy, with his eyes on the big picture of the F1 2026 drivers' championship.

Barring a miraculous recovery, that Monza curse looks like it might well continue.

Written by

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson - F1 Editor

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