Kimi Antonelli is facing a home race during the Italian GP. The young world championship leader starts at Monza with a disadvantage. Mercedes decided to replace extra engine parts as a precaution, causing the Italian to exceed the allowed maximum. As a result, he will start at the back on Sunday. Antonelli is willing to support teammate George Russell but emphasizes that he wants to push forward ‘full throttle’. “I have nothing to lose anyway.”
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After a series of reliability issues earlier this year, Mercedes decided to install a fifth engine in Antonelli’s car at Monza. This automatically results in a grid penalty from the FIA, and he will start at the back of the field on Sunday. This somewhat eases the pressure for the 20-year-old Italian. Last year, he seemed to buckle under pressure; after an early crash in free practice, he had a disappointing weekend. “Since I start last, I’m going full throttle,” Antonelli said during the official FIA press conference. “Of course, I will keep my wits about me. It’s not like I’m going to brake at the first braking zone on Sunday as if it’s qualifying, otherwise I’ll cause a crash.”
Kimi Antonelli: ‘I have nothing to lose’
“I don’t want to get ahead of things, but I have nothing to lose,” he continued. “The goal is to regain as many points as possible. Of course, it’s not ideal to get a penalty during your home race, especially during such an important weekend,” Antonelli admitted. “But ultimately, as a team, we look at the championship, and this is definitely one of the best circuits to take that penalty. So it’s better to replace everything now to prevent future problems. Besides, I feel much less pressure, so I can enjoy this whole experience more – that’s also worth something.”
To give Antonelli the best possible chances, Mercedes is fully focused on the race. “We will only focus on the race setup and then see what happens,” he revealed. “I think a top five is achievable, but of course, we have to wait and see how the race unfolds.” With such a strategy, Antonelli can also choose to take fewer risks during qualifying and help George Russell. “We will definitely discuss that internally so that we are prepared for such a situation. We’ll see how it goes,” he concluded soberly.
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