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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Kieran Jackson

Why Kimi Antonelli has F1 triumph in his sights – but Monza could spark a fightback

Kimi Antonelli, 20, has a 59-point lead in the world championship - (Getty)

A crash, a penalty… what next? For a man who’s just turned 20, Italian hotshot Kimi Antonelli has already endured a tumultuous relationship with his home grand prix: the electrifying, old-school Monza circuit, long christened Formula 1’s Temple of Speed.

Two years ago, on the same weekend that Toto Wolff announced that then-F2 driver Antonelli would have the small shoes of Lewis Hamilton to fill in 2025, Antonelli took part in his first F1 session. On his second flying lap, full-send around the final high-speed Parabolica corner, the teen dumped his car violently into the wall. Then, in 2025, Antonelli crashed again in practice before receiving a penalty for track limits and running Alex Albon off the circuit.

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