Mercedes has confirmed that Kimi Antonelli will not use the updated power unit at the Formula 1 Italian GP, despite the team having received a development opportunity through the ADUO system.
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The Italian has already exceeded the component limit allowed for the season and will have to use a fifth power unit in Monza. As a consequence, Antonelli will receive a grid penalty and will start from the back of the pack in his home race.
The choice of Monza was made precisely because it is one of the circuits where it is easier to recover positions after a penalty. Even so, the new engine that will be installed in Antonelli’s car will not feature the update authorized by ADUO, whose launch is scheduled for the North American stage of the season, in October, in Austin or Mexico City.
Mercedes will therefore have to manage the use of the remaining components throughout the 11 stages still scheduled on the calendar, although the future of the Qatar and Abu Dhabi GPs is still uncertain. The expectation is that Antonelli and his teammate, George Russell, will each use six power units during the championship, which may result in new grid penalties.
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The decision to change Antonelli’s engine before the update arrives is related to the stock of components available to the driver. Reliability failures and other issues that caused retirements have reduced the number of usable units for the Italian, making it necessary to introduce a new engine at this time.
Russell is in a slightly more comfortable situation. Although he has used the same number of components as Antonelli, the Brit still has a larger stock available because he has suffered fewer terminal failures throughout the season.
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