Kimi Antonelli endured "weird" but "very interesting" practice sessions on Friday ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

Antonelli has finished on the podium 10 times in 2026. If he claims another, it will be the first time Italian drivers have had 11 podium finishes in a single season since 1989.

However, the Formula One drivers' championship leader will start his home race from the back of the grid after exceeding power-unit component limits on his car.

Due to the penalty, Antonelli focused on his long-run pace across Friday's two practice sessions, which he found interesting.

"It was a bit of a different day compared to usual," said Antonelli.

"A lot more focused on long runs, so it was a bit weird – not going to lie – but overall, it was a good day. We gathered a lot of data and we're looking forward to the next few days.

"It was interesting in the long run today, running behind other cars to see what they were doing differently, where they were deploying compared to us.

"So, it was very interesting. We have gathered a lot of data and now we look forward to the weekend."

Friday in Monza, finito  pic.twitter.com/4NJYmagoqq

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) September 4, 2026

While George Russell topped second practice, with Antonelli in third, Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton led the way in the first session on Friday.

Hamilton revealed on Thursday that Ferrari had an engine upgrade ahead of this weekend's action, and Antonelli believes they have matched Mercedes' pace.

"Yeah, for sure, Ferrari definitely took a step forward with the engine," added Antonelli.

"With the new engine, the speeds are now the same. We know how good their car is on the corners, so it's going to be a tight, tight fight for pole."