ANTONELLI SET FOR BACK-OF-GRID MONZA START

Mercedes plans to install a complete new power unit in Kimi Antonelli’s car at Monza. The change will exceed the championship leader’s season allowance and is expected to send him to the back of the grid for his home Grand Prix. The penalty becomes official once the new components are installed.

Team principal Toto Wolff said Mercedes’ calculations identified Monza as the best circuit at which to absorb the penalty. The team has prioritized its championship strategy rather than postponing the change to protect Antonelli’s starting position in front of the Italian crowd.

Antonelli heads to Monza with 242 points and a 59-point advantage over George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Russell is also expected to require another power unit later in the season, but Mercedes has not decided where he will take the resulting penalty.