Antonelli to serve engine penalty at Monza as Mercedes readies for 'important period'

Toto Wolff has confirmed Kimi Antonelli will start from the back of the grid in the Italian Grand Prix due to a power unit penalty, as he expects two tough weekends for Mercedes.

Antonelli currently leads the drivers’ championship by 59 points from teammate George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, but has only one win from the past six races. That run started with a reliability issue that led to him retiring from the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, and Mercedes has pinpointed the race in Italy as the best place to take a penalty and try to recover through the field.

“Monza and Madrid begin an important period for us,” Wolff said. “The field has compressed to the point where several teams can win on merit, and the price of a mistake is much higher. We have put ourselves in a strong position in both championships, but nobody in our team is under any illusion about how difficult the next races will be.

“For us, Monza begins with a challenge. Kimi will take a power unit penalty and start from the back of the grid. It's disappointing for him and for the fans who want to see him fighting from the front in his home race, but our sport doesn't reward sentiment. When you make decisions that benefit the championship campaign, sometimes you pay a short-term price.

“The objective now is straightforward: recover as many places as possible and maximize the points. On the other side of the garage, George arrives with good momentum after Zandvoort and will be looking to put himself firmly in the fight from the start of the weekend.”

Wolff’s reference of the challenging upcoming races relates to Mercedes’ current development plan, with the team currently expected to introduce an upgrade after the end of the European season. While McLaren’s Lando Norris beat the two Mercedes drivers to victory in Zandvoort – a track where energy recovery opportunities were plentiful and overtaking was particularly difficult – Wolff is expecting a very different spectacle in Italy.

“Monza is an energy-poor track; you spend much of the lap asking everything from the power unit and don't have many opportunities to charge the battery,” he said. “With the current regulations, that creates compromises that will need to be managed carefully. It is an interesting challenge and one that will likely lead to an exciting weekend.”