Why Antonelli Already has a Penalty for the Italian GP

Kimi Antonelli will be looking forward to his home race this weekend in Monza, but the Italian will be forced to start at the back of the grid due to a penalty. Here's why he's picked up a penalty despite not turning a wheel at La Pista Magica.

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been, without a doubt, one of the revelations of the season, I think the revelation of the season in Formula 1.

Some people were questioning whether he was ready for Formula 1 at the tender age of just 18, making his debut for the Mercedes Formula 1 team last season in 2025.

And the haters were absolutely loving it.

He did seem to struggle at times, especially compared to his much more experienced teammate, George Russell.

But the talent was clearly there.

He showed flashes of brilliance.

This season has been the opposite, really.

I mean, he has shown massive amounts of brilliance basically all season and with very little mistakes.

And the end result of that is despite some mechanical issues for the Mercedes engine this year, I mean, that's the first time we've said that in many decades in Formula 1.

Usually, they are absolutely bulletproof.

This year they've had some problems, and Kimi Antonelli's had some retirements as a result of that.

But despite that, he's leading the Formula 1 World Championship absolutely clearly, to the point where, and I've said this a few times now, he doesn't even have to turn up for the next two rounds of the world championship in his home race in Italy, and also Spain, and he can still lead the championship.

Even if George Russell won them both, which, given current form, is looking pretty unlikely, but even if he did, he'd still be top.

Now, where he's gonna finish in his home race in Monza in just six days time as I record this, yes, I'm recording this on bank holiday Monday.

I'm always here doing the effort for you guys.

You know how we do here on thef1chronicle.com and the Formula Reports.

But he is going to be starting, unfortunately for him, most likely from the back of the grid, but he's probably not going to be the only one because, yes, Kimi Antonelli already has a penalty for his home race.

But why?

And why is he going to be joined, most likely, by at least one other driver?

Let's have a look at everything we know about this story here on thef1chronicle.com.

Shout-out to Jack Wren for penning this story.

Kimi Antonelli will start his home Grand Prix from the back of the field.

Mercedes confirmed the championship leader will take on a completely new power unit at Monza this weekend, a decision that carries a minimum 10-place grid penalty and could push him to the very back of the pack regardless of how he qualifies.

George Russell is not far behind him either.

Mercedes deputy team principal, Bradley Lord, confirmed that the second Mercedes driver, because that is what he's been this season, sorry, George, it's true, will also serve a penalty before the season ends, though the team has yet to decide where.

Both drivers have run into engine reliability trouble this year, and both are now set to pay for it on track.

So for those who are not aware, I mean, it's been this way for a long, long time.

I mean, the amounts and the types of engine components have changed over the years.

I remember in the V8 era in Formula 1, I think you used to get eight engines, then they became power units for 2014, and the numbers that you're allowed throughout the campaign have slowly been whittled down over the years.

But essentially, if you go over your allocated limit for any part of the power unit, not just the engine, the ICE is one part of it.

You've also got things like the energy storage, the turbo, things like that.

If you go over your allocation for a season at any point, you will get a grid penalty.

And the way that teams normally do this is that they pick a track where they think, "Right, we're gonna be good here," or they think, "Right, we are going to be able to overtake here quite easily, so we're gonna take on the penalties."

It's not uncommon.

Monza is a popular place to do it because, of course, there are lots of long straights.

But interestingly, over the years, it's not always the easiest place to overtake because even though historically we've had DRS, the straights are incredibly long, which does help with DRS, but you also have very low downforce levels as well, so the advantage of drag reduction is less.

But in this era in Formula 1 in 2026, we're gonna see, I think, probably a lot of super clipping.

We're gonna see a lot of people harvesting at the end of some of the big straights, because you've got the pit straight, which is very long.

The Curva Grande, I mean, it's not a straight, but it's a long, flat-out zone into that second chicane.

Then you've got the one from the Lesmos up to the Ascari chicane, that's a long straight.

And then the one from the Ascari chicane to what is now officially known as Alboreto, although everybody still calls it, of course, the Parabolica.

So those are four very long straights.

Four straights that, you know, around some tracks, I mean, like Monaco, obviously, even like Singapore, you know, you will not get a straight that is anywhere near as long as any of those four.

So you're gonna get a lot of power being deployed, a lot of electrical deployment, and therefore not as much harvesting as well 'cause even though you do have some long braking zones, there's not that many of them, especially compared to the flat-out, full-throttle event of the lap, which is, what, 80% in modern Formula 1?

It might be a little less now, at least when it comes to full deployment.

Anyway, that is a one-stop shop of why they have chosen this racetrack.

I don't think it's a bad choice, but it probably does hurt Antonelli because it's like this is his home race.

It's his only home race, of course, now as well, now that Imola has left the calendar.

Although it might come back at the end of the year.

It's still unconfirmed.

We don't know what is gonna be happening.

MotoGP, they have canceled their race, or they're going to cancel their Qatar Grand Prix at the end of the year.

Will Formula 1 do the same with their Qatar Grand Prix and also, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as well?

I think they will, but we might well end up with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Portimo or Imola.

Yeah, we might have that.

I mean, we've got a Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, of course, coming up in, like, a month's time.

I mean, I'm glad Malaysia's back, but really, the Bahrain Grand Prix?

It's a bit different to Sakhir.

I mean, you have to squint a lot to be able to think that they're the same.

Anyway, back to the article on our website.

Each driver is allowed a capped number of power unit parts across a season.

Mercedes have run into technical issues with both cars, and rather than patch the problem, the team has opted to fit Antonelli's Mercedes with a full new package at Monza between the 4th and 6th of September.

Yeah, of course, they could try and run some of the engines that are probably a bit more suspect, but they can't retrofit reliability aids.

So this new engine that's been fitted now could see him out until- Well, near the end of the season potentially.

But that's still a long way to go.

I mean, is he gonna have to take another one at some point?

I'd say probably, yeah.

He might take it in Azerbaijan or somewhere like that.

Again, another track with lots of long straights and where it's typically not the most difficult to pass.

I think particularly in modern Formula 1 they'll be over to, able to overtake there.

Or they could take it in Mexico instead.

That's got lots of big straights.

I don't know.

But I'll be surprised if this will see him out for the rest of the season.

But, hey, Mercedes are pretty clever at the end of the day.

Speaking after the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend, Toto Wolff explained the logic behind timing the penalty for Antonelli's own Grand Prix rather than saving it for later in the year.

He said, quote, "With Kimi, we're taking the full thing.

Our calculations say that's the best track to ha- Our calculations say that's the best track to take it.

Obviously, algorithms don't take their nationality into consideration.

We are here to fight for a championship and not get the most PR.

So that's what we're going to do.

So yeah, that's what we're going to do."

End quote.

I mean, are the home fans gonna be supporting Kimi?

I know it's his home race, but obviously that is the homeland of the Tifosi.

I mean, he's gonna be popular there, but I think most of the towns would much rather see Hamilton or Leclerc at the top step of the podium than Antonelli.

It sounds incredible, doesn't it?

But very much that team is the national team of Italy.

He's a great driver, Antonelli, and he'll have a great future in Formula 1, but I don't even think that he will trump Ferrari in that regard, that PR battle as it were.

Monza's long straights suit the Mercedes power unit, which is generally accepted to be one of the most, powerful on the grid.

I think it's the most powerful personally.

I mean, people say that it's the Red Bull, but I don't know.

I'm yet to see the evidence of that personally.

It's definitely up there.

It's one of the two.

Ferrari, unfortunately for them, are a little ways behind, which is gonna hurt them at Monza, I think.

Imagine if Antonelli finishes ahead of the Ferrari cars despite starting at the back.

That'd be a bad look.

That'd be a bad look.

But it's, yeah, it's a anomalous It's an odd race as it were, is Monza.

There's nowhere quite like this, for good and the bad.

Mainly for good.

I love it.

And the circuit offers more overtaking chances than most stops on the calendar.

Both factors in the decision to absorb the penalty here rather than hurting Antonelli's title fight at a tighter track where it's also harder to overtake.

Wolff added that that discussion over Russell's own penalty were ongoing.

And we already know about the trials and tribulations this season, Mercedes, when it comes to unreliability.

They've had quite a bad luck when it comes to that really this season.

That has been their Achilles heel.

Simple as that, their reliability.

But it's the new engine formula, it's a new regulations era, and all of the engine manufacturers really have had issues.

The one team that hasn't had issues is Ferrari.

But you look at how many mechanical problems Cadillac have had.

I mean, admittedly, probably a lot of them are to do with the car given how the engine is reliable for Ferrari, but I don't think Haas have been bulletproof.

I swear Haas have had a few little issues here and there.

Nothing too major.

But they're not really tearing it up this season, Haas.

They are struggling a bit.

Honda have obviously had a million and one problems.

Audi have obviously had a lot of problems with their power unit being the first time that they are manufacturing that.

And, Red Bull as well, of course, with a Ford power unit too.

They've had their struggles as well.

So everybody struggle.

Everybody struggle except for Ferrari.

Ferrari are the only team that can probably do the whole season on their allocated, kind of planned allowance when it comes to, the regulations, when it comes to their power unit parts.

Everybody else is gonna have to take a lot of penalties and they're gonna kick in towards the end of the season.

Remember, was it 20- I wanna say 2017.

I can't remember what year it was in the V6 era, but there was a year where there was so many penalties it was a joke.

I mean, obviously McLaren-Honda had loads in 2015.

That scarred me for life, that.

But I'm sure there's been some other times when there's been like half the grid taking penalties.

In fact, Monza 2017, I remember that.

The qualifying session was incredible because nobody, nobody started where they actually finished in qualifying.

Everybody just moved around because there were so many penalties and it was so confusing.

And they have streamlined it since then, Formula 1, but we're gonna see something close to that towards the end of this year, mark my words.

Las Vegas maybe being one of them, lots of long straights.

But yeah, your thoughts in the comments below, guys.

Like, share, comment, subscribe as always, and we'll see you soon for much more content on the world of Formula 1 right here on the F1 Chronicle website and Formula Reports.

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