Antonelli reveals Mercedes Italian GP Qualifying plan amid back-of-grid penalty

Antonelli leads the Drivers' standings by 59 points ahead of Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, but will have his work cut out for him as Mercedes have decided to take an engine penalty this weekend amid a power unit change for the 20-year-old. Power unit reliability has been a blemish on the Silver Arrows' dominant season so far, with Antonelli and Russell suffering DNFs at Barcelona and Montreal.

Despite being in the middle of a tense battle for the title, Antonelli has revealed Mercedes discussions over how to approach Qualifying this weekend at Monza, with the championship leader willing to give Russell a tow if his team ask him to do so. With energy management set to be critical at Monza's 'Temple of Speed', any boost in straight-line speed could be crucial.

Asked whether he would in fact 'sacrifice' his Qualifying and help give Russell the slipstream, Antonelli replied: "Yeah, it has been discussed with the team. And, yes, we have agreed on a few things. So let's see how the session develops.

Antonelli was also asked whether starting from the back of the grid would help relieve some pressure this weekend, and if he could realistically expect to still win his home race. He said: "I would be very happy if I would win! Yeah, definitely takes the pressure away.