Antonelli Reveals Lessons From Following Verstappen in Italian GP Practice

Posted : 05 September 2026

Kimi Antonelli believes following Max Verstappen during Friday's second practice session for the Italian Grand Prix gave him useful information ahead of Sunday's race. The Mercedes driver is preparing for a difficult recovery drive after an engine-related penalty will force him to start from the back of the grid at Monza.

Antonelli used the long-run phase of FP2 to study how other cars behaved around the high-speed circuit. He paid particular attention to how Verstappen and other drivers managed energy deployment compared with Mercedes.

“It was interesting in the long run today, running behind other cars to see what they were doing differently,” Antonelli said. He added that studying where rivals were deploying their energy gave Mercedes valuable data for the rest of the weekend.

The Italian arrived at his home Grand Prix with a 59-point lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell in the drivers' championship. His penalty is expected to make that advantage smaller, but his strong pace in practice offered encouragement for the race.

Antonelli finished third in FP2 with a best time of 1:22.700. Russell led the session in 1:22.559, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was second at 1:22.679, leaving Antonelli just 0.141 seconds off the pace.

Verstappen had a more difficult session and finished ninth. The reigning world champion struggled with the balance of his Red Bull and also required a front-wing change during the afternoon.

Ferrari also emerged as a serious threat at Monza. Leclerc topped FP1 before finishing second in FP2, while Lewis Hamilton placed fifth in the afternoon session after Ferrari introduced a power-unit upgrade for its home race.

Antonelli expects qualifying to be closely contested. He noted that Ferrari's improved straight-line speed has brought the Italian team closer to Mercedes, while Ferrari's strength through the corners could make the fight for pole particularly tight.

The 18-year-old will not be fighting for a normal qualifying position because his engine penalty has already determined that he will start Sunday's race from the back. Mercedes has also discussed using Antonelli to provide a slipstream for Russell during qualifying, potentially helping his teammate challenge for pole.

Russell strengthened his position as a leading contender by topping both FP2 and Saturday's final practice. He set a 1:22.219 in FP3, with Hamilton second and Verstappen third, while Antonelli finished fourth.

With Russell now showing strong pace and Ferrari remaining close, Antonelli's ability to use what he learned from following rivals could prove important when he attempts to fight through the field on Sunday.

Antonelli Reveals Lessons From Following Verstappen in Italian GP Practice

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