Mercedes is studying the best moment to serve a possible penalty for changing power unit components of Kimi Antonelli in the 2026 Formula 1 season. The Italian GP in Monza appears as the main candidate, but the Azerbaijan GP is also being considered by the team.
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Championship leader, the Italian has already reached the regulatory limit of combustion engines, exhausts, batteries, and electronic control units allowed for the season. The competitor can still use one more turbocharger and one MGU-K before suffering penalties. However, if it is necessary to install a new combustion engine, exhaust, battery, or electronic control unit, he will receive a grid penalty.
For this reason, teams usually choose circuits where overtaking is easier to minimize losses. Monza is seen as one of the best places to serve this type of penalty due to its long straights and good overtaking opportunities, characteristics that are not so present on tracks like Zandvoort or Baku.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted that the team has not yet decided if the change will be necessary, but acknowledged that the Italian circuit has favorable characteristics, despite the emotional weight of the race for Antonelli, who will be racing at home.
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“I hope we don’t even need to serve this penalty, but we still have to decide if it will be necessary and, if so, at which circuit. There is a race that would be very special for Kimi, but on paper, it seems like a good place to serve a penalty for an engine change. We will need to talk to Marco (Antonelli, Kimi’s father) to decide if it’s worth doing it in Monza,” he said.
“Baku can also be an alternative. Maybe it’s better to take this pressure off Monza and start from the back of the grid at another track. Our reliability hasn’t been good, so we will still evaluate if this will be necessary or not,” he added.
Mercedes’ reliability problems began at the Spanish GP, when Antonelli retired from the race due to an electrical failure in the power unit while running in second place. The team introduced a solution to the problem at the next round in Austria but continues to monitor the durability of the components for the rest of the season.
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