The day started with Antonelli looking to limit the damage inflicted on his points lead by Russell as he started at the back of the grid because of a penalty for using more than his permitted number of engine parts.
An early stint of cautious, measured attacking lifted Antonelli up to 12th place on the third lap when Leclerc lost control at the Parabolica after getting slightly wide defending from Piastri, smashing deep into the barriers and bringing out the red flag.
Leclerc was unhurt and the race was stopped while the marshals rebuilt the barriers at the famous final corner.
By this time, Russell had taken the lead from shock pole winner Pierre Gasly’s Alpine and looked in control of the race.
But the restart saw a compelling series of laps as the leading drivers ran nose to tail and Antonelli picked his way through the pack and into contention.
Four laps after the restart, Russell was leading a six-car train with Antonelli at the rear. Gasly started to drop back and the Italian moved past the Frenchman, Hamilton and finally Piastri before joining a three-car battle for the lead with Verstappen.
The Dutchman briefly took the lead from Russell on lap 11, before the Briton re-passed him three laps later, Antonelli overtaking the Red Bull into the second chicane.
From laps 17 to 24, the Mercedes battled hard, the two passing and re-passing each other as they played with the boost and overtaking modes in the new hybrid engines as Verstappen sat right behind them with the best seat in the house.
Antonelli was then told that Russell had been asked to push and build a gap to Verstappen, and the tension was betrayed in Antonelli’s response, when he asked if they wanted him to sit back and not challenge.
Shortly afterwards, a virtual safety car was called when Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin broke down at the first chicane and Antonelli’s side of the garage decided to risk a stop for fresh tyres. Russell stayed out, needing to nurse his tyres to the end, and Verstappen followed Antonelli in.
Antonelli rejoined in sixth place and 15 seconds behind his team-mate, but he moved past Gasly, Norris, Hamilton and Piastri as he closed in on his team-mate.
Russell began to struggle with his tyres as Antonelli homed in and by lap 48, with five to go, the two were nose to tail.
An initial attempt into the first chicane on lap 50 came to grief when Antonelli got on to the rubber debris off line turning into the second part of the first chicane and slid into the gravel.
But such was his pace advantage that he soon closed the 1.7-second gap that had opened up and easily breezed past Russell on the run between the Lesmo corners and Ascari.
A resigned Russell said: “When I looked at the leaderboard a few laps after the restart and saw he was already in P5/6 I knew he would be in the mix. I was just struggling with the tyres at the end.
“I will take it. It has been more positive than before summer break but of course I would have loved to be P1 today.”
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