Antonelli has invited comparisons with F1 greats after his Monza drive
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Kimi Antonelli added his name to one of Formula 1’s most exclusive lists at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix: until Sunday, only four drivers have ever won a race from 17th place or lower.
The world championship leader joins Max Verstappen, Rubens Barrichello, Kimi Raikkonen and John Watson in driving to victory from the very tail end of the grid.
In doing so, he has cemented his place as a true racer according to Watson, who is the only driver to have achieved the feat twice, winning the 1982 Detroit Grand Prix from 17th on the grid, then Long Beach the following year, where he started a record-breaking 22nd on the grid. No one has ever won from a lowlier grid spot.
“There are some drivers who are what I would call fundamentally racers, and the people mentioned [above] were people that I would describe as racers,” Watson told Motor Sport.
“There are many fine racing drivers who have won grands prix and have been world champions, who have not, in my view, been what I would describe as an out-and-out racer.”
On the back row of the grid (as others started from the pitlane): Antonelli prepares for his Monza charge
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Watson, who overtook cars at the rate of almost one per lap in his Long Beach drive to victory, said the feat of passing almost an entire grid reveals a level of commitment and judgement that’s rare, even in Formula 1.
“It’s having this ability to make judgments when you’re catching a car,” he said. “You must catch it in the right part of the racetrack to enable you to continue that progress, not to find yourself being bogged down and then losing your momentum.
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“It comes down to a variety of qualities in the personality of the person and their ability behind the wheel to make those assessments and judgments. Execution is key ultimately, and you’ve got to be decisive.
“Kimi is outstanding. There’s no question. He’s one of those once-in-a-decade talents that comes along: Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen. Kimi looks like he’s going to be the next one.”
Watson’s judgement comes from his own experiences of fighting through the pack: three of his five grand prix wins came from 10th or lower on the grid. In 1983, he set a record that’s never been broken, starting from 22nd after an abysmal qualifying session in which he and McLaren team-mate Niki Lauda (starting 23rd) couldn’t warm up their tyres.
On the Sunday, McLaren’s qualifying problem turned into a raceday advantage; its car was gentler on tyres than rivals and Watson began to make progress, despite falling behind Lauda at the start.
“Once we got the tyre operating in its proper window, then the fundamental quality of the car shone through,” said Watson, whose progress was motivated by time-honoured team-mate rivalry. “I was trailing Lauda, and one of the things I had to do was to ensure that I never got a car between Lauda and myself. I didn’t want him get ahead of me.”
Barely in shot, Watson started 22nd for McLaren at Long Beach in 1983
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Watson’s advance was aided by collisions that removed the front-running Patrick Tambay and Keke Rosberg, then he out-braked Lauda to head the McLaren charge. He hit the lead on lap 45 and led Lauda by almost 28sec at the chequered flag, 30 laps later.
Despite the 43-year gap between the races, Watson can still see the parallels between his famous victory and Antonelli’s own, influenced by engine penalties, battery management and the virtual safety car.
“Monza, in relative terms, is an easier circuit,” said Watson. “The performance advantage that Mercedes seemed to have would have contributed, but the point is, Kimi had to get through the traffic. The virtual safety car undoubtedly aided his progress. But ultimately, he had to make that progress.
“One of the things that I was able to do in Long Beach was maintain my momentum. I didn’t stay behind a car when I got to within striking distance. I would strike and move on. And I think that Kimi would have done a similar thing.
Watson celebrates after his epic Long Beach drive
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“What he is doing presently is remarkable. George Russell, I’ve got a great respect for. I think he’s a bloody quick guy, and Kimi’s really overshadowing him, totally.
“Everybody felt it was George’s race to lose, and as it turns out, he did, and it was to his own team-mate.”
While Antonelli may have had a different strategy to Russell, and benefitted from the red flag caused by Leclerc’s crash, Watson dismissed these as “ifs, ands or buts” and said that the victory had to be taken at face value.
“Antonelli has got something which is currently, I would say, unique amongst the entire Formula 1 field: a kid who’s just turned 20 with that maturity, along with that ability.
“It was a stellar drive, a world champion’s drive, and something that I think that he will be satisfied with, and quite rightly so as well.”
