Antonelli says he behaved like a good teammate in Monza qualifying

MONZA, Italy, Sept 5 : Formula One leader Kimi Antonelli said he behaved like a good teammate after helping George Russell to secure a place on the front row of the Italian Grand Prix grid for Mercedes while he is set to start at the back.

The 20-year-old, who is 59 points clear of closest rival Russell in the standings, qualified seventh on Saturday but has engine penalties for his home race.

Providing a teammate with an aerodynamic tow at the fastest circuit on the calendar can be a big help and Antonelli did as Mercedes asked.

“It’s what I had to do. The team asked me and of course I did what I had to do and I tried to help as much as possible," he told Sky Sports television.

“Overall, with the penalty today I had to be a good teammate and help as much as I could. I think I did a good job on that and happy that it worked out at the end."

Russell qualified in second place after pole was snatched out of his hands by Alpine's Pierre Gasly, who is not in the bigger title battle but could potentially take away points from the main contenders.

Antonelli said his game plan was to stay out of trouble through the first two chicanes and then try to clear traffic as quickly as possible and chase the frontrunners.

The youngster has won six races so far this season and is the first Italian to lead the championship at Monza for 73 years.