With world championship leader Kimi Antonelli set to start from the back of the grid at the Italian Grand Prix, the trio of Brits attempting to chase him down at the top of the standings have a major opportunity.

Antonelli's Mercedes team-mate George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton both trail the Italian by 59 points, while reigning world champion Lando Norris has reduced his deficit to 83 points with victories at the last two races.

Mercedes have decided that Monza, despite it being Antonelli's home race, is the best circuit for the 20-year-old to incur penalties for exceeding his allowance of engine parts for the season.

With grid penalties inevitable at some point for Antonelli after he lost a second power unit to technical issues earlier in the season, the expected simplicity of overtaking at Monza convinced team and driver to take the Temple of Speed.

While Mercedes clearly anticipate Antonelli will be able to fight back through the field to score points, Sunday's race remains a huge opportunity for those behind him to take a chunk out of his lead.

Last chance for Russell?

Russell, who is above Hamilton in second in the standings because he has won more races, surely cannot afford to miss out at Monza.

Whereas the two races either side of the summer break - in Hungary and the Netherlands - were never expected to be Mercedes' strongest tracks, they should return to form in Italy.

However, being unexpectedly outperformed by Antonelli over the first half of the season has created doubts for Russell around his approach.

The 28-year-old produced a solid weekend in Zandvoort after the break as he won the Sprint and took third in the race, but he was still no match for Antonelli in terms of Sunday pace.

Bearing in mind that he too will have to take a grid penalty at a race later this season, anything other than a major gain for Russell could see the team lean towards prioritising Antonelli for the rest of the campaign.

A scenario where Russell fails to finish ahead of his team-mate would all but end the Brit's title hopes.

Will Ferrari engine upgrade propel Hamilton?

The title charge Hamilton appeared to be mounting when he claimed his first Ferrari Grand Prix win in Barcelona back in June has gradually lost momentum.

Errors from both driver and team have contributed to a failure to maximise results in just about all five races since Barcelona.

The seven-time world champion needs a weekend to reinvigorate his challenge, and where better to produce it than in front of the tifosi at Monza?

The big question around Ferrari going into the team's home race is how effective the engine upgrade they are expected to bring to Monza will be.

If they take a significant step forward in that department, there is every chance that one of the drivers in red can stand on the top of the podium on Sunday.

It's crucial for Hamilton that he makes sure it's him, because victory for his team-mate Charles Leclerc would represent a major setback for his hopes of claiming a record eighth title.

Hamilton's lead over Leclerc is only 28 points, a figure which he needs to increase to persuade Ferrari to throw their support behind his title aspirations sooner rather than later.

Can Norris defy McLaren concern?

The form guide makes the reigning world champion the clear favourite for victory in Italy, with Norris having showed supreme pace while claiming McLaren's first two wins of the season.

However, there are significant doubts over whether McLaren can maintain their upturn in performance at a vastly different type of circuit.

The team have warned in their event preview that they "may not have the outright quickest package this weekend" despite confirming the arrival of yet more upgrades on the MCL40.

Perhaps the key factor in their apparent lack of confidence arriving at Monza is the shorter ratios McLaren installed on their gearbox at the start of the season, which provide greater acceleration out of slow corners but limit top speed.

McLaren are supplied with their power unit by Mercedes, but the Silver Arrows' better understanding of how to get the best out of their engine has been a key performance differentiator between the two teams this season.

An inferior top-speed at Monza will be hard to overcome, but there is little doubt that Norris himself is full of confidence and will snaffle the opportunity to keep his winning streak going should it be presented to him.

Verstappen to do Antonelli a favour?

If he can't pull off the unthinkable by going from the back of the grid to the top step of the podium, Antonelli might be quite happy to see Max Verstappen claim a first victory of the season.

With a 130-point deficit to Antonelli, Verstappen is surely too far back to mount a comeback of his own, but he could still have a say in the title battle run-in.

Red Bull were clearly lacking pace at the last two races, but their power unit - judged by the FIA earlier in the season to be the best performing on the grid - should make them more competitive at Monza.

The four-time world champion hasn't gone a full season without a win since his debut F1 campaign in 2015, so the chances are that he'll pull one out of the bag somewhere.

In the event Verstappen can't find a victory, Antonelli would also prefer to see Leclerc or Norris' team-mate Oscar Piastri upstage his closest pursuers.

Sky Sports F1's Italian GP live schedule

Thursday September 3
1pm: Drivers' Press Conference
4pm: Paddock Uncut

Friday September 4
7.30am: F3 Practice
8.55am: F2 Practice
11am: Italian Grand Prix Practice One (session starts at 11.30pm)*
12.55pm: F3 Qualifying
1.50pm: F2 Qualifying
2.35pm: Italian Grand Prix Practice Two (session starts at 3pm)
4.15pm: The F1 Show
5.20pm: Team Bosses' Press Conference

Saturday September 5
8.25am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: Italian Grand Prix Practice Three (session starts at 11:30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: Italian Grand Prix Qualifying build-up
3pm: ITALIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING*
5pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook

Sunday September 6
7.10am: F3 Feature Race
8.40am: F2 Feature Race
10.40am: Porsche Supercup Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Italian GP build-up
2pm: THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Italian GP reaction
5pm: Ted's Notebook

*also on Sky Sports Main Event

Formula 1 heads to Monza for Ferrari's home race at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime

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