Home race setback for championship leader

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has confirmed that Kimi Antonelli is set to take a grid penalty at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix as a result of a planned engine change.

The standings leader currently holds an advantage over the field and would become the youngest-ever World Champion if he seals the 2026 title, but he will face a significant obstacle at his home event in Monza.

Mercedes have accepted that in order to avoid further damaging technical problems — such as the one that forced Antonelli to retire whilst fighting for valuable points in Barcelona — they need to install a new power unit. As per the regulations, if a driver uses more power unit elements than the permitted allocation, a grid penalty will be imposed at the first event where each additional element is used.

The Italian Grand Prix has been selected as the ideal round in the hope Antonelli will be able to charge back through the field more easily than at other circuits, thereby minimising the impact of the setback.

Speaking after the Zandvoort Sprint, in which Antonelli finished fourth, Wolff said: "We need big points. Kimi is going to probably lose some in Monza starting in the back, so hopefully we can pocket some here."

The penalty will be a minimum of 10 positions depending on the exact components Mercedes change — effectively, the more new parts, the greater the grid drop. With the event taking place from September 4-6, Antonelli will be aiming to score as many points as possible at the Dutch Grand Prix to build a buffer.