F1 World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli: Chance of a Monza podium despite grid penalty

For Kimi Antonelli, last year’s home race at Monza was a disappointment. The then teenager ended up in the gravel trap during the second free practice session after spinning off the track in his Mercedes. In the race, he had to settle for ninth place. It wasn’t his first setback last summer, which is why team principal Toto Wolff had some strong words for him.

This year, the mood in the Mercedes motorhome is completely different. Antonelli has arrived as the championship leader, and he is determined to shine in front of his home crowd at the Royal Park. However, the now 20-year-old Formula 1 star from Bologna heads into the 13th Grand Prix of the season with a handicap, as he will be using a new engine that exceeds the permitted quota.

Nevertheless, former Grand Prix driver and ServusTV pundit Christian Klien is certain: the Mercedes driver has a genuine chance of a podium finish. He knows: “Mercedes deliberately chose Monza for the engine change because overtaking is no problem on this circuit.” And the Austrian predicts: “Kimi will plough his way through the field and certainly have a chance of a podium finish. Even without the upgrade – which has only been announced for October in Malaysia – the car has proven to be strong enough.”

Ahead of the start of the Monza weekend, Antonelli holds a commanding 59-point lead in the World Championship over his closest rivals, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who are tied on points in second and third place respectively. Mercedes has an even bigger cushion over its main rival, Ferrari: the Mercedes works team has so far scored 87 points more than the world’s oldest F1 team.

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