Why Kimi Antonelli’s Italian GP recovery may be tougher than expected
When Mercedes put sentiment to one side and made the rational decision to let Kimi Antonelli take a fifth Formula 1 power unit in his home race, landing him a back-of-the-grid start for exceeding his allowance for the year, it did so for a good reason. With the strength of Mercedes' 2026 power unit, and a freshly built example no less, Mercedes is expecting its young challenger to ... Keep reading
Kimi Antonelli, the 20-year-old Italian Formula 1 driver, faces a challenging Italian Grand Prix at Monza, known as the "Temple of Speed". He will start from the back of the grid due to a new power unit, which exceeds his allowance for the year. According to Motorsport.com, Mercedes made this decision to prepare for the 2026 power unit.
Antonelli leads the championship by 59 points over his teammate George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. The Italian circuit has 11 corners, with cars spending around 76 per cent of the lap at full throttle. Last year, Max Verstappen set the fastest qualifying lap in F1 history before winning the race at an average speed of 250.706kph.
Antonelli told reporters that he will start from the back of the grid but is looking forward to the weekend, and may give his teammate George Russell a "tow" in qualifying if requested. He said he will obey the team's instructions and do whatever it takes to help, although he would prefer to fight for pole position.
Brief written by urgent.news from Motorsport.com, The National Business, Malay Mail — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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