Antonelli seeing an upside to Italian Grand Prix grid penalty

Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli says his grid penalty at the Italian Grand Prix takes some of the pressure off him at his home race, where he will put his team's confidence in his ability to come through the field to the the test.

Antonelli will start from the back of the grid as a result of taking a new power unit at Monza, where Mercedes predicts the track layout will give the Italian the best chance of recovering through the field. While he raced at both Imola and Monza in his rookie season, Antonelli returns to his home race with a 59-point advantage in the drivers’ standings, and he believes the penalty can have a positive impact in reducing expectations on him.

“I think in some ways it helps to release pressure,” Antonelli said. “Although I'd very much rather fight for pole and start there at the front. But in some ways I feel like it makes me a bit more relaxed going into the weekend. I think that's why I'm going to be able to enjoy more the driving and the weekend itself.

“Of course, it's a different opportunity. It's an opportunity to try something different during the weekend. A different work method as well, in free practice especially, because we have the chance to do so. So I think it's going to be a very interesting weekend.

“It definitely takes pressure away … and I feel like definitely getting in the car with very minimal thoughts in mind. Just very free, and just going to enjoy the driving and the weekend.

“Of course, the goal is always the same and we're going to try to maximize the result. But I think in an ideal world, realistically, top five, we can do well. But it's all driven by your pace. How fast you are, what's the gap between cars. We might be really quick, but Ferrari, McLaren or Red Bull, they might be very close, and then it’s probably not enough to catch them during a race.

“We'll see. But definitely, I feel very free mentally going into this weekend. I feel very excited, very much looking forward to it, but with no real pressure.”

Antonelli notes a change in his own approach to his latest visit to Monza, as he is confidence he will have a competitive car to fight with on Sunday.

“It feels very special. Definitely a lot different compared to last year," he said. "I will be able to enjoy it much more than what I did previously, and hopefully we can still have a great race.

“I think it's a circuit that could suit us very well. But we've seen how strong McLaren has been in the past two races. Ferrari is going to be certainly on top, especially with the new engine.

“I think our car, despite not having any upgrades since Canada, I think it's still a very strong car.”