'Could never have imagined' – Antonelli's Italian Grand Prix victory from P19 a 'dream coming true'

Kimi Antonelli admits his sensational victory in the Italian Grand Prix from P19 on the grid was like a "dream coming true".

Antonelli's prospects of a first victory on home soil at Monza seemed unlikely ahead of Sunday's 53-lap race, with the Italian starting towards the back of the grid after taking new power unit components.

But after the race was red flagged early after Charles Leclerc's dramatic crash at the final corner, Antonelli had already reached P12 and quickly scythed through the order at the restart.

Battling Merecedes team mate George Russell for the lead, Antonelli was brought into the pits under a mid-race Virtual Safety Car, before using fresher tyres to catch and pass the Briton with four laps remaining.

"Unbelievable, I'm so happy and I could never have imagined to be here today but we managed to pull it off and I'm really happy," said Antonelli immediately after the race, who added "it's a dream coming true".

"After the second restart I was up there and I knew I could have a shot for the win. Definitely I believed in it, especially when I was behind George but it was really difficult because it was really difficult to break away with the tow being so strong.

"At the end, we pitted and he [Russell] stayed out and he struggled a bit with his tyres at the end. With fresher tyres I was able to increase the pace and managed to win it."

The victory at Monza is the first for an Italian driver since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966, with P19 the second-ever lowest starting position a Grand Prix has been won from in Formula 1 history.

Antonelli's seventh win of the season moves him 66 points clear of Russell in the drivers' standings, with the pair almost making contact in the closing stages at the first chicane.

Antonelli took to the gravel on the exit, before recovering and blasting past Russell on the run to the Ascari chicane with four laps remaining.

"It was quite scary during the moment," he said.

"I thought I could still do the corner but once I went over a bit of gravel I went straight, and I was like maybe I've lost my chance, but then luckily we still had the pace and managed to bring it home."