Will Hamilton, Russell or Norris seize title-race opening at Monza?

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli is highly unlikely to contend for victory at the Italian Grand Prix, so can his title rivals take advantage? Watch every session of the Italian GP live on Sky Sports, starting with Friday's practice sessions at 11.30am and 3pm

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.

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.

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.