Kimi Antonelli will have to start at the back of the grid during his home race in Monza. Mercedes confirmed this during the recent Dutch GP at Zandvoort. The team has decided to replace some engine components and accept the associated grid penalties. For the Italian fans, it may be disappointing that the young championship leader receives a penalty precisely at Monza, but team boss Toto Wolff emphasizes that Mercedes’ priority is fully on the title fight.
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Antonelli, who after six wins in the first half of the season is still comfortably leading the championship, himself insisted on a new engine. He emphasized that it was a ‘tactical choice’ to take a grid penalty precisely at Monza, because overtaking is relatively easy at the Temple of Speed. Although the upcoming Italian GP is his home race, Mercedes finds it more important to eliminate risks in the long term.
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“We are fighting for the championship, not for the PR trophy,” Toto Wolff clarified to the media. George Russell is also expected to receive a grid penalty this year. The engine of his W17 will also need to be replaced in due course. “The discussions are still ongoing,” Wolff said about that. Thanks in part to his sprint win in Zandvoort, Russell has caught up with Lewis Hamilton. Both are still 59 championship points behind Antonelli.
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