Mercedes explain reason for Kimi Antonelli Monza misery

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has explained the reason why Kimi Antonelli will be made to suffer on home soil for his home race in Italy next weekend.

F1 drivers' championship leader Antonelli would ordinarily have headed into grand prix at Monza as one of the favourites to score a highly popular victory in front of his own fans.

But the 20-year-old will be forced to fight his way from the back of the pack due to Mercedes deciding their young driver will take an engine penalty hit around the famed circuit.

Wolff has confirmed that Mercedes will be "taking the full thing", meaning all power unit components will be replaced - internal combustion engine, turbocharger, MGU-K, energy store, control electronics and ancillary component.

In Antonelli's case, not every new component will incur a penalty. However, taking a fifth ICE, a fourth energy store and a fourth control electronics means the combined grid penalty total of 30 places will pitch him to the back.

Shedding light on Mercedes' decision, despite accepting the fact they are denying Antonelli a shot at winning in front of his fans, speaking to the media, including RacingNews365, Wolff said: "Our theory, our calculations say that it's the best track to take it.

"Obviously, algorithms don't consider the nationality when we have to fight for a championship and want to get the most PR, so that's what we're going to do ."

Wolff has confirmed that Mercedes is undecided where George Russell should take his penalty punishment. The British driver is in a similar situation to Antonelli, although he has taken an additional turbocharger this season.

"With George, the discussions are ongoing on where to take it," he said.

Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.

Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar