Kimi Antonelli remains optimistic of his chances of success in the Italian Grand Prix, despite being set to take a huge grid penalty at his home race.
Antonelli will incur a back-of-the-grid drop at Monza after qualifying, after taking a complete new power unit of the same specification into his pool of parts.
The Italian has already used the maximum four Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs), and three energy stores and control electronics, in addition to four exhausts. He is still within tolerance of the turbocharger and MGU-K, but the decision has been taken to introduce a fully new unit for the title run-in.
Reflecting on that, in front of his home crowd, which means he can win qualifying but will not be starting on pole, Antonelli, who leads the drivers' standings by 59 points from team-mate George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in a points tie for second, was fully on board with the decision.
"Obviously, going into Monza [with the] engine penalty, I still think it’s the best track where to take it to," Antonelli told media, including RacingNews365.
"Of course, it’s my home race and all that kind of stuff, but I think it’s the best race to do so.
"So, I think it still will give me a chance to get a great result and bring home good points."
His boss Toto Wolff had previously spoken how the team's computer simulations had indicated Monza was the "best track" to take the required penalty.
"Our theory, our calculations say that it's the best track to take it," Wolff had said.
"Obviously, algorithms don't consider nationality when we have to fight for a championship and want to get the most PR, so that's what we're going to do."
Drivers are permitted a pool of components for the season, with the Italian driver having used four internal combustion engines, four exhausts, three energy stores (battery) and three control electronics – meaning he’s hit the permitted limits for these components. He still has one allowance for the turbocharger and MGU-K.
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365’s Nick Golding and Samuel Coop as they look ahead to this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix! The duo assess whether Lando Norris can continue his title charge and the significance of Kimi Antonelli’s grid penalty.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..
Join the conversation!