Mercedes is thinking more deeply about the ‘almost inevitable’ grid penalties for Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. According to the team, it is only a matter of time before both drivers have used up the maximum allowed number of engine components and have to serve a grid penalty. “Kimi is already on his fourth set of components, so the next ones will bring penalties, and George is already on his third set,” says Mercedes boss Bradley Lord.
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On paper, Mercedes was the most dominant team in the first half of the 2026 season. No less than eight of the eleven Grands Prix were won by a Silver Arrows driver. The team is also leading in both championships. However, these statistics do not tell the whole story. Mercedes experienced reliability issues with the W17 during several race weekends. Both Andrea Kimi Antonelli – in Barcelona – and George Russell – in Canada – retired due to battery problems.
With a second half of the season still to go, both Mercedes drivers are already close to the limit of the allowed number of components for their cars. “If you look at how many we have already used in the first half of the season, I think it is almost inevitable that at some point grid penalties will have to be served,” confirmed Bradley Lord, Mercedes deputy team principal, to a select group of media.
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According to the Mercedes boss, it is almost impossible to make it to the end of the season with the current components. “We still have half a season to go. Kimi is on his fourth set of components, so the next ones will bring penalties. George is already on his third set in the first half of the year,” Lord listed. “So yes, the chances and calculations indicate that both will have to take some form of penalty at some point. The extent of these penalties still needs to be determined.”
Engine penalty in Monza?
Earlier, team principal Toto Wolff also hinted that grid penalties for the Mercedes drivers are coming. The big dilemma for the Austrian was whether Kimi Antonelli would have to take an engine penalty during his home race in Monza. “It could happen during a race that is very special for Kimi. On paper, Monza seems like a good place to take an engine penalty,” said Wolff. “We need to discuss with Marco (Antonelli, Kimi’s father, ed.) whether we also want to take a penalty then.”
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