Kimi Antonelli Monza penalty looms amid Mercedes regret admission
Mercedes says reliability issues forced the change, and Antonelli is expected to start from the back as the team preserves fresher hardware for later races.
- Championship leader Kimi Antonelli will start from the back of the grid at Monza next weekend after Mercedes fitted him with a full new power unit, exceeding his permitted component allowances for the season.
- Reliability struggles throughout the year, including battery issues affecting both drivers, forced the Brixworth-based manufacturer to introduce new components despite Antonelli already hitting his permitted limit for several parts.
- Because Monza features four overtaking zones, Mercedes targeted this venue to minimize the penalty's impact, allowing a faster car to make progress more straightforwardly than at other circuits.
- Teammate George Russell will also face a penalty before the season ends, Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord confirmed, as the team manages high-mileage hardware risks across both cars.
- While Mercedes previously regretted taking penalties at this track, head of trackside engineering Andrew Shovlin noted the current development plan makes this the logical time to accept the setback with championships leading.
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15 Articles
Kimi Antonelli warns F1 title job far from done
Kimi Antonelli says his commanding Formula 1 championship advantage counts for little yet as the Mercedes star refuses to consider the title fight anywhere near settled. The post Kimi Antonelli warns F1 title job far from done appeared first on Speedcafe.com.
Last year, after the Monza weekend, Kimi Antonelli had to take criticism from Mercedes team manager Toto Wolff. This year, he returns to the Royal Park as World Cup leader.
Kimi Antonelli is currently going through the most exciting period of his young career. At just 20 years of age since Tuesday, the Italian is already at the top of the Formula 1 World Championship, with 59 points ahead of his team-mate George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, the one he had replaced at Mercedes. After a first learning season sometimes challenging, Antonelli now seems to have found the perfect balance between performance, confidence an…
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