Antonelli sends ominous Italian GP warning to Mercedes' rivals despite grid penalty

59 points clear of his teammate George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, Antonelli will start at the back of the grid at Monza after Mercedes opted for a power unit change which takes them over their allocated swaps for the season.

Reliability concerns, which have seen both Antonelli and Russell DNF at Barcelona and Montreal, respectively, have threatened to derail what has so far been a dominant campaign, and Mercedes are wary of more aggressive upgrade timelines from rivals Ferrari and McLaren - with the former set to bring important power unit updates to Monza in a bid to close their deficit to the Constructors' leaders.

Antonelli, however, appears to be enjoy a relief from pressure this weekend, hoping to "enjoy the driving more" and take the opportunity to try "something different" as he looks to scythe through the grid on Sunday.

On his back-of-the-grid start, the 20-year-old said to GPblog, among others: "I think in some ways it helps to release pressure. Although I'd very much rather fight for pole and start at the front. But in some ways, I feel like it makes me a bit more relaxed going into the weekend. And I think also that's why I'm going to be able to enjoy more the driving and the weekend itself.

The young Italian has said he believes a top five finish would represent a good result this weekend, but has warned rivals that the Monza circuit could suit the Silver Arrows, and that despite not bringing any major packages to the W17 since the Canadian GP, it is still a "very strong car."

Asked how high he could climb during Sunday's Grand Prix and whether an energy-starved Monza could suit Mercedes, with widespread concern over energy management this weekend, Antonelli was confident of a good result, despite being wary of upgrades from Ferrari and McLaren.

He said: "Yeah, definitely. I think it's a circuit that could suit us very well. But we've seen how strong McLaren is and how strong they have been in the past two races. Ferrari is going to be certainly on top, especially with the new engine.