Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen shared thoughts ahead of F1 title-deciding Abu Dhabi GP, as rivals chimed in with their opinions.
In a different pre-race press conference, the FIA put McLaren’s Norris and Piastri together with Red Bull’s Verstappen in a F1 championship contender trio to face the media song. The Brit heads into the Abu Dhabi GP weekend with a lead of 12 points over the Dutchman and 16 over the Australian.
Norris is naturally the one to lose the maximum considering he is the leader of the F1 championship, while Piastri has the least to give up. In some ways, Verstappen too has nothing to lose, considering that he is a four-time champion and the fact that he shouldn’t have been in this place at all.
The big talking point of team orders was played down by both Norris and Piastri, as the two together with Verstappen shared the preparation in the lead-up to Abu Dhabi GP. They added on the whereabouts of their respective families, where the Dutchman did not plan for a title showdown.
They reflected on the F1 2025 season and the pressure coming into the finale. They are not taking any, especially Verstappen, who is gunning for his fifth, while Norris and Piastri are going for their first F1 world championship, being teammates to each other and against each other.
Lead-up to final weekend, approach, family/friends –
Norris: “Sure. Same as every weekend. Nothing changed. Of course, just some reviews of last weekend, like the same after every weekend really—review what went on, what was clearly and obviously not good for us, some of the mistakes we’ve made, and also the less obvious things that we could improve on. But that’s normal post-race understandings and therefore preparations for the next race. But otherwise, nothing does change. I mean, it gets treated the same from everyone inside the team. Just more excitement, I guess, for everyone at the same time. But apart from that, the work and how you approach it all remains the same. A mix. I mean, it’s end of season. Every year I invite some of my friends because they’re just as important as the rest in terms of – a lot of my friends support me every weekend, support me every week, cheer for me.
“I always lean on my friends for advice and help in different moments. So yeah, win or lose, end of the season, it’s always nice to share it with them. But I do that every year, so it’s nothing special from that point of view. And my parents come to many races, and they’re here again because it’s the final one – not because of it being a good one or a bad one or whatever it may be. They come to the final race of the season every time. So, a little mix, but no, I want them to be there because it’s a moment again, win or lose, it’s a moment where I just want to share every bit that I can with my friends, with my family, because it’s also fun for them. I mean, my mom does many things – different shoes, odd-coloured shoes, whatever, she does a lot of different stuff.
“She doesn’t, I think, do anything that I know of that’s like Max said. But yeah, she also tells me similar things: stay away from the others and be careful. I guess it’s just a different mentality. You know, like Max’s mom was a racing driver, so I think she understands probably more than our moms might do. So, I think they get maybe a bit more scared because they don’t understand everything that goes on quite as well. But yeah, I love my mom, so it’s good.”
Piastri: “I mean, I wasn’t organising GT3 teams, but I played some padel, and just treated it like normal. Obviously, there’s not that many days in between. Had a marketing day, so that was good fun, and that’s been about it. Yeah, my family is here. Kind of similar to Lando in some ways. It’s the last race. I’ve done a lot of racing without any of my family and friends in my career, so it is always nice to have them there. But it doesn’t change the world, let’s say. It is nice, obviously, but I know some people actually prefer it when their parents aren’t there or they don’t have people around. But for me, it is a nice thing.
“I don’t think my mom has any rituals, so to speak. Yes, she does tell me to be careful, and she normally likes it when there’s no other cars around me, which is understandable. I like that too. But apart from that, there’s nothing special. You know, obviously for my mom and, well, I mean, everyone that watches me race from Australia it’s pretty brutal at the best of times trying to stay up. So, there are a lot of sleepless nights for everyone, a lot of tough Monday mornings, regardless of what the result’s been. So, yeah, it’s always nice to have their support.”
Verstappen: “Spent some time with my daughter, figured some stuff out for GT3 for next year, figured out some stuff for my sim team as well, planning for next year. So, yeah, just pretty straightforward stuff before arriving here, to be honest. No. Parents are not here. My dad is rallying in Africa. And my mom… Yeah, I guess it was not planned. I also didn’t really plan to be in the title fight till the end. So, yeah, here we are. Yeah, I think after Zandvoort everything was a bit cancelled, I would say.
“My mom is at home happy with the dogs. So yeah. You can see a lot on TV anyway. We are not like that. They know that when I sit in the car, I will give everything I have. I just speak to them about other stuff. So, they don’t need to motivate me. That doesn’t really work like that. But of course, they always support me, you know? My mom always lights a candle before every race weekend. But yeah, I guess they trust their son.”
Reflection –
Norris: “I mean, there’s always little things along the way. Of course, there are probably some more obvious ones from my side. You know, if I go back to Canada, probably being the most like ‘just put my hands up in the air—I messed up’. It cost me a good amount of points. Yeah. China, I’ve been unlucky in qualifying. And then just some little things along the way. It’s probably like that for everyone. There certainly is for everyone. Otherwise, there’s some other bits where, probably the same for all of us here, at times, you get a bit unlucky, whether it was the DNF in Zandvoort or the disqualification.
“That’s not unlucky. That’s just not doing a good enough job as a team. But the disqualification in Vegas as well cost me a good amount of points. So yeah, I wouldn’t say anything obvious. It was just a couple of parts from my side that I have to put my hands up and admit I didn’t do a very good job. And then a couple from us as a team where we have to admit we also didn’t do a good enough job, including last weekend. But that’s probably about it.”
Piastri: “Yeah, I mean, there are a few moments to choose from, I’d say, unfortunately. But I think for everyone, there’s always moments, and no season is ever going to be perfect. So, I think it’s not particularly useful picking out “I lost this amount of points here, this amount of points there,” because everyone’s lost a certain amount of points at some point along the way. But yeah, definitely on my side of things, there’s been a few races or a few moments I’d like to have again. Same thing as the team, I’m sure. But yeah, picking one—I don’t think there’s one that’s hurt more than others.”
Verstappen: “At the end of the day, of course, it’s one over 24 races. Some races go a bit better than others. A lot of the races we didn’t have a lot of pace or enough pace to challenge for a win, but here we are. So, in general, I’m just very proud of the season that we’ve done, how we’ve come back as well in the second half. So yeah, we’ll just try and keep it fun now ‘til the end. But yeah, to always pinpoint on one particular moment is a hard one.”
Team orders, data share –
Norris: “No. Not been discussed. And honestly, I mean, I would love it, but I don’t think I would ask it. Because… I don’t know, it’s up to Oscar if he would allow it, you know? I don’t think it’s necessarily down to me. It’s the same if it’s the other way around. Would I be willing to or not? Personally, I think I would just because I feel like I’m always like that, and that’s just how I am. But yeah, it’s not really up to me. I’m not going to ask it. I don’t want to ask it because I don’t think it’s necessarily a fair question.
“And at the same time, if that’s how it ends and Max wins, then well, that’s it. Congrats to him and I look forward to next year. It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change my life. So, he will deserve it over us. I don’t think Zak or Andrea would let us even if we wanted to. So, no. It’s the same as every weekend.”
Piastri: “It’s not something we’ve discussed. So, yeah. I mean, until I know what’s kind of expected… I don’t really have an answer until I know what’s expected of me. We’ve set up a cardboard barrier between the two of us. No, it’s the same as usual. Obviously, we want to go out and make the car as quick as possible and win. We’ve always wanted the same opportunities to go out and win races. So that’s exactly the same this weekend.”
Pressure –
Norris: “I know I’ve obviously not been in this situation before, so pretty different, I guess, for both of us. But at the minute, I feel good. Like, I really don’t think of it at all until you guys ask it all the time. So, it’s trying to avoid you guys as much as possible! But that’s also part of the job. So it’s nothing new. It’s nothing that shocks me. Whatever. I come into the weekend not thinking of it. For the last three days, just playing some golf and being with my mates and having a good time. And I look forward to doing that on Monday, whether I’m hungover or not. So, yeah, really it is the same, and I think it’ll be the same on track as how I’ve been the last few weeks. As much as there’s been pressure the last few weeks, I’ve still felt comfortable and I still feel good in the car.
“So, just yeah. All good. I guess in terms of position, of course, I have the most to lose because I am the one at the top. Yeah. And I’ll do my best to stay there till the end of the year, a few more days. At the same time, if it doesn’t go my way, then I try again next year. It’ll hurt probably for a little while, but then, yeah, that’s life. I’ll crack on and try and do better next season. So, I also feel like I have the mentality of “I have nothing to lose,” because it’s just a race for a championship. But in 30 years’ time, I probably won’t think of it that much either way. So, I’m not too bothered. I’ll do the best I can. If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, then I’ll try again next year.”
Piastri: “Yeah, I’m relaxed. I’ve been on the opposite side of the championship battle in the junior categories, and I know what that felt and it was pretty tough. So, coming into it from, you know, the least to lose out of us three is quite different for me. And I think off the back of Qatar, I’ve got a lot of confidence that I can perform well. Obviously, I need a fair few things to happen this weekend to come out champion, but I’ll just make sure I’m in the right place at the right time and see what happens.”
Verstappen: “I’m very relaxed. Nothing to lose, you know? So, I’m just enjoying being here. But for me, it’s not even about being here. I’ve been enjoying the second half of the season, working with the team, how we’ve been able to turn it around from difficult times and really having a debrief after the race, being very disappointed and frustrated with the performances to just enjoying, smiling. Having these wins again is fantastic. So, I just take it – everything here is just a bonus, sitting here fighting for the title. So that’s also what makes it very straightforward for me. We will just try to have a good weekend. But then even then, it’s not really in my control, you know?
“So we just, yeah, like I said, try to enjoy it. I mean, trophy looks the same. I have four of those at home, so it’s nice to add a fifth. Yeah. I mean, I know my signature, so it’s the same. But yeah, I mean, of course you always try to win it. But at the same time, I’ve already achieved everything that I wanted to achieve in F1, and everything is just a bonus. And I just keep doing it because I love it and I enjoy it. And that’s also how I go into this weekend—have a good time out there, try to maximise the result. And even with that, maximising the result? I don’t even know what that means in terms of where you are in the ranking, you know? Because realistically, I don’t think we are the quickest. But you never know. A lot of things can happen—like it did also in Qatar. So we’ll just see.”
Achievement –
Norris: “I don’t know. Ask me, hopefully, in a few days or a few weeks then. I think this has been my whole life. It’s everything I’ve worked towards my whole life. So, it would mean the world to me. It would mean the world to everyone that’s supported me and pushed me for the last, what is it, like 16 years of my life in terms of trying to get to this point. So, it would mean everything. It would mean my life until now has been a success, and I’ve accomplished that dream I had when I was a kid. Other than that, I don’t know what else to say. It’s a reward for a lot of hard work that goes into things, and I think it goes to whoever deserves it the most.”
Piastri: “I mean, it’d be pretty cool, to be honest. But I think it often takes a little while for those kinds of things to settle in. And at the same time, next season starts in a few weeks. So, I think regardless of whatever you’ve achieved in the past – Max is probably the most qualified to say this – but I think you move on pretty quick and try and win the next race that’s in front of you. So yeah, obviously it would be a very cool achievement. But I’m not getting my hopes up too high. We’ll see what happens. And yeah, if I can achieve it, then I’ll be a pretty happy guy.”
Parliament news, Webber’s push –
Piastri: “I did see it reach Parliament. Yeah, that’s quite impressive. Nice stat to have, given that I’m in that position. But just because history has gone that way once doesn’t mean it will again. So, I’m certainly not leaning on that, but maybe it gives me the tiniest amount of comfort that it is possible. And I think the support from back home has been really special. I obviously don’t see a huge amount of it. I’ve not being back to Australia since the Grand Prix but I think the fact that Formula 1 and regardless of why it was in Parliament, the fact that my name is in Parliament in Australia is pretty cool in some ways. A pretty cool thing. And I guess it signifies the magnitude of the support and the following that we’ve had back home.
“So that’s very, very cool to see, and I’ll try my best to bring it home for everyone. I think for me, I’m trying to do it for myself. Ultimately, as racing drivers, we’re pretty selfish people most of the time. And ultimately, we’re the only ones in the car doing it for our own personal pride. Obviously, there are a lot of people along the journey – your family, your friends, managers, whoever it might be, people that supported you. But ultimately, you start out in this sport because you want to do it for yourself. So yeah, that’s first and foremost. I’m sure Mark would love to see me win, obviously. But yeah, there’ are no kind of thoughts about paying that back or anything like that.”
What F1 rivals think –
Carlos Sainz: “I do have an interest, obviously, and I will be following very closely. Also, I think everyone knows how well I get on with Lando, and obviously I wish Lando the best possible outcome. In that sense, I also have a lot of respect for Max and Oscar, and I wish them the best. But I think Abu Dhabi is a Lando track. I think he’s not lucky, but I think it is good for him that I think the finale is in Abu Dhabi, though, which is from my experience being his teammate here is one of his best tracks at driving. The win he took last year in front of me still hurts. He dominated last year race in front of me, and I knew it’s a Lando track and it’s a McLaren track, so I think he plays with that advantage.
“Still going into it last weekend, having to finish on the podium is never easy, even if you drive a McLaren. And I think he needs to execute a perfect weekend, and I believe given how well he’s responded under pressure recently, I think he can do it. I think at the time, obviously, what I saw immediately from Lando was unbelievable skill to drive the car at the limit and put together really good qualifying laps. Again, I’ve been teammates with Charles, with Max, Lando, been teammates with all the top guys, I think, in the grid by now. I can tell Lando has nothing left in his tank in terms of speed; I think speed is as quick as anyone, and quicker even than anyone on his good day. I think what he’s developed the most is that consistency you see through the year; being strong in tracks that maybe he wasn’t that strong in his first couple of years, versus me.
“And now, when I look at his driving and how strong he is everywhere, he’s developed that skill that comes with more experience, which is to be quick in every circumstance, in every track. Now he’s a more of an all-rounder, for sure, than what he was in the first few years, but I don’t think he’s any quicker than those two years. When you arrive in Formula 1, you’re as quick as you can get, and then it’s all about developing the skills of how to be quick in every type of corner or in every type of track.”
Fernando Alonso: “It is hard, it is hard because from yesterday you do a couple of events and today in the media, it is always the same question and even if you want to switch it off and treat it like a normal weekend, there are always inputs from outside, they remind you that it is a very special race. Yeah, it is more stress for sure, more pressure but at the end of the day I think, when you close the visor and you leave the garage, your driving style and your driving technique, wish of doing well and win the race doesn’t change much, it is not that you drive differently, so yeah. I think it is going to be a normal weekend inside the car and different weekend outside. I mean, the last time that it was three drivers it was back in 2010. So yeah, I don’t know, the prediction is difficult. You always think that the leading guy has an advantage because he has some margin in terms of results and you can take it a little bit easier, but F1 is unpredictable.
“There was a safety car and back in 2010 that it was the wrong choice to not take it. It was a safety car last week, it was a wrong choice as well not to take it. But these things can happen in an F1 race, so it’s not guaranteed even if you are leading the championship. You never know. It’s always a guess, difficult to answer [if one can win title early]. I think we all know that Max is an incredible driver and extracting the maximum from the car and some of the races he has won this year maybe it was not really up to the car, it was up to him and also last year. We all will say that we can win the championship with the best car. We all have that self-confidence. But this is a question that you cannot answer. This has been happening for last 19 years now [that we don’t have the best driver as champion]. So, it will be the 20th (everyone laughs).
“Yes, always a little bit of games…you see your opponents on track in FP1, in FP2, media comments from today, you want to put the pressure on the other side, you meet in the drivers’ briefing, there is a different body language for sure for all the three of them. But at the end of the day, as I said before, when you close the visor and you drive..if the McLaren is little bit faster this weekend, they will have everything to win it, if the Red Bull is faster, then there is a good chance for Max, again it is all down to the car performance eventually.”
George Russell: “Lando. I don’t think it’s acceptable or reasonable to ask a driver who’s also in a shot of a championship in the very last race to move over for your team-mate. I think if it were, you know, in other seasons gone by – let’s just say, you know, Checo and Max or Barrichello and Schumacher – when clearly one driver is the one going for the championship, and if in the last race, the guy who doesn’t have a shot of winning the championship moves over, that is absolutely reasonable. And I think every single driver would do that. But for me, I don’t think it would be fair at all. I think they both need to be given a shot.
“And if they lose out because of it, you just need to say the other guy did a better job, and that’s racing. That’s how it should be. I think McLaren have been so strong here the last few years. I think they were on pole and won the last couple of years, and it hasn’t been our strongest track. But if we are in the mix, again, it’s not really our problem. We’re going out there to have the best race possible. I’m not going to risk any more or any less than any other race. For me, it’s one race of 24. It’s the last race of the season, but I treat every single one the same.”
Isack Hadjar: “Lando. I mean, I won’t be racing any of these guys this weekend, to be honest. It’s more like a traditional track. I think the ranking of the car performances makes sense. So we won’t be there to disturb their fight, that’s for sure.”
Charles Leclerc: “I don’t know. Again, I’ve changed my mind so many times this year. I thought it was Oscar, then I thought it was Max, then I don’t know. I probably think it’s going to be Lando. Twelve points is still significant. So, if nothing big happens to Lando, I think Lando will take it. Well, I don’t know how competitive we’ll be this weekend. I think, at least for us, we expect McLaren to be extremely strong this weekend, then probably Red Bull, and then Mercedes and ourselves. Whether there will be at one point some interaction between the McLarens or the Red Bull and ourselves, I’m pretty sure there will be at one point. But I’m not here to think about any of that. I’ll just do absolutely everything in order to maximise my race and then it’s up to them to the do the best job and try and get the championship, whoever the world champion will be, but that won’t be part of my thought process in my race for sure.
“I’d rather just win the race and have nothing to do with the way they fight for the championship. That’s one way to look at it. But again, whether I’m fighting for second, third, fourth, or whichever position I find myself in, whoever is behind, I’ll just fight him the same way just because I want to maximise that last race, and I’m fighting for my team. So again, there’s nothing of that title battle that will cross my mind, because I just want to maximise my car potential. So yeah, I’ll fight as hard for whoever is behind or in front and try to maximise our result.”
Nico Hulkenberg: “I don’t know interest but of course, curious and I am going to follow it, going to watch it as much as I can doing my race, watching the screens which is quite possible here. Obviously, good for the sport that the title race is open. And yeah, very exciting and interesting. Of course, he has had such a good run recently, so strong, no mistakes and just absolutely been flawless and killing it. Obviously, 12 points is quite a lot but we know mathematically it is possible, crazy things can happen. I think he obviously knows how to fight for the title and pressure is not an issue for him, he has got nothing to lose really. He’s got all to gain, so yeah, interesting.”
Alexander Albon: “It’s been really impressive to see how Lando’s handled the second half of the year. I think he’s made almost zero mistakes from the most part and seems to be the kind of the showing his worth. I think he’s been dealing with the pressure well and he seems, to my eyes at least, he seems pretty relaxed right now. I don’t see him that tense. So, yeah, he’s a different generation to me. He’s a couple of years before, older, sorry, younger than I am. So I’ve never seen him in that kind of like championship fight in the junior categories, let’s say. But yeah, in many ways I feel like he hasn’t had that happen too many times, maybe I’m wrong in saying that.
“But he’s either dominated the championship or he’s not had the kind of, that fight towards the end but what better way to do it than your first world championship. 2021, it was fun I think. It’s what sport lives for. These kind of nail biters towards the end, clearly a lot of tension, a lot of adrenaline and pressure, but all in a good way. I think that’s also a testament to Red Bull at the time and I think that they’re a very strong operating team. But the stakes are high and it kind of exposes the cracks in many ways, but also highlights when the best are operating at their best. So, I find it exciting, I think. That’s the beauty of the sport.”
Esteban Ocon: “I mean, the one who would deserve it the most are the one who have the quickest car. So I would say McLaren, but the one who has done the craziest comeback is for sure Max. We have to remember that, he is quite far behind and the reality, yes, is that everyone, all the top three can fight for the title, but the points deficit are still quite big. So I think, yeah, still Lando is going to take it. I have good relationship with all three to be honest. Even if what people think, I have good relationship with Max. I get along super well with Lando. I’ve been teammate with, with Oscar in the past when he was at Alpine. They three are very good drivers and they all deserve to win the title. But only one will take it and it’s going to be interesting to see the fight until the end.
“If they can play it a bit crazy in the first lap, I would not mind too much, if they can do a, yeah, a bowling ball strike into turn one, uh, I will definitely take it. I think he has caught everyone by surprise, yeah, definitely. I think it’s very remarkable [comeback from Max]. It shows how long the season is you can…even if you have like 100 points ahead, it can very quickly come back and at the front, there’s a lot of points available. For us it’s four, six points, eight points at max, but at the front, it’s 25, 18, 15, 12, so it can catch up quite quickly, so…yeah, it’s interesting. It’s very good for everyone, very good for the show. It keeps you guys entertained as well, and that’s nice.”
Lewis Hamilton: “I wouldn’t give anyone advice. They’re my competitors. So I’d probably be telling them fibs. As I said, they are all my competitors, I am not rooting for anybody but myself. I don’t really remember….it was so long ago the first one. I definitely for sure wasn’t really nervous for first one. It was a long wait for second…what was it, 2014. That one I didn’t sleep. But more so because somebody tried to bring new rule to potentially change the outcome. Fortunately it didn’t work.
“That was nerve wracking but I don’t know these drivers here seem pretty chilled, so I doubt they would have the same feeling I did. It is always easy when you are the hunted. When you’re defending, it’s much, much harder. If you’re ahead on track and someone’s catching you, it’s much harder to hold on as opposed to someone catching you. You can use them as a reference all the time. So it’s the same thing when you’ve got nothing to lose but everything to gain, when you have everything to lose and nothing to gain except for holding on position. So it’s much, much different.”
Pierre Gasly: “I’m not going to lie, I’m a big motorsport fan myself. So when I look at it, I find it pretty cool. I was telling to the Canal+ guys that even, I don’t know if you guys saw their trailer. I think everyone’s seen it. I was like, even as a driver, I get chills watching your thing. think it’s great for the sport, and yeah, definitely going to enjoy looking at the outcome of that fight. And, yeah, I mean, it’s a talking, I talk F1 every day in my daily life. People in my team obviously love F1, so it always comes up every single day and weeks. And yeah, I must say, I enjoy the three of it.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli: “No, I mean, it’s, I think all three deserves, Max has had an incredible second half of the season, he’s been making the difference. But I think also Lando and Oscar, they do deserve it. But, of course, with Max, despite his 12 points behind, I think anything is possible with him. So definitely it’s not going to be easy for McLaren, especially if Red Bull has the pace. But also we expect McLaren to be super strong here.
“So maybe we’ll just see McLaren going off into the distance, but you never know at the end. Also on our side, we’re fighting for P2 in the championship. So we’re ready to do our best because we really want to achieve that for the team. But yeah, I think Lando is in the most favourable position in terms of points. But yeah, you just cannot count on Max.”
Gabriel Bortoleto: “I think what has been happening the last weekends, no one really expected that could happen, so it’s impossible to predict. My opinion is that it’s super close, obviously there’s still a gap of 12 points and we know that there is not really much competition against Red Bull and McLaren. When Max is winning, McLaren is just there behind. So, it is not going to easy, still a gap, if Max wins, I think Lando needs to finish P4 and he is a champion but definitely it is not going to be easy. Yes [cheering for Max]. I think the World Championship is about the best driver in the world and I think this season at least Max has made less mistakes than anyone else. I think he proved that he was the best driver in the world this year, so I think he deserves the title in my view.
“I’m not sure about [everyone paying more attention] qualifying because everyone is trying to do their best, we are also racing for ourselves, but in the race definitely if you are there you got a blue flag, you don’t want to be the reason why something happens let’s put it in this way. Even if you are fighting with them, you never know, obviously, if they’re fighting for the world title is because they are fighting for the win and realistically we are not there. Hopefully I’m not involved I can do my own race and finish in a good position without getting involved with that. If the race is boring, then I will be looking.”
Franco Colapinto: “I am just planning to look a bit more at the TVs in the straights. I mean, it is something that…it is nice for F1, I think it is a great thing for the sport that after so many years, we have three drivers fighting for the world championship in the last race so close to each other that they all can win it.
“They all have a chance and it bring a lot of excitement to the fans and brings them to the race that we haven’t had for a while and it is going to be something historic and a race that can stay in the books and minds for long time, so of course it is special but again for me, it is one more race. I am not the one fighting for the championship, but it is good for the sport.”
Liam Lawson: “It would be very cool [to see Red Bull and Max Verstappen win]. I know it’s been a big sort of fight back for the team in the last six months, and I was there at the start of the year when it was quite tricky. It’s great to see the team in a better place, and it would be very cool for them to come back and win.”
Here’s details of Abu Dhabi GP
Here’s what happened with Andrea Kimi Antonelli