Mercedes has officially decided its Formula 1 world championship leader Kimi Antonelli will start from the back of the grid at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix after it decided to give him a new power unit, exceeding his allowance for the year.
Drivers are allowed to use up to four power units for the season, but Mercedes’ reliability woes over the first half of the campaign meant it has always been a question of when, not if, its drivers were going to exceed that allowance and take a grid penalty.
Antonelli is currently already at the limit with his V6 and exhaust system, while Russell has no more room for either a combustion engine or turbocharger.
Antonelli had been in line for a grid drop at his home race in Monza in two weeks’ time, and Mercedes has now officially confirmed it will change the title favourite’s engine. The 19-year-old is set for a full power unit switch, which sets him up for a back-of-the-grid start.
“With Kimi we are taking the full thing,” Wolff confirmed, dismissing the notion that Mercedes could have been tempted to take into account Monza being Antonelli’s home race.
Photo by: Pauline Ballet – Formula 1
“In theory, our calculations say that that’s the best track to take it. Obviously, our algorithms don’t take nationality into consideration. But we are here to fight for a championship and not get the most PR. So, that’s what we are going to do.”
Russell is also set for grid drop down the line, though the Brackley team hasn’t decided yet where the Briton will swap power units yet.
Russell only took his fourth power unit at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, the final race before the summer break. That gives him more flexibility on mileage, though the team could still opt to add a fifth power unit to his pool of components at any time.
“With George, the discussions are ongoing about where to take it,” Wolff said.
The next suitable opportunity after Monza could be Baku’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which emphasises power unit performance and top speed while providing some overtaking opportunities to offset a grid drop.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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