Kimi Antonelli to Face Grid Penalty at Italian Grand Prix for Engine Change

World championship leader Kimi Antonelli is set to incur a grid penalty at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix, as confirmed by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

Drivers are allocated a specific number of power unit parts for the season. Due to two separate technical issues encountered by Antonelli, Mercedes has accepted that he will need to exceed this limit before the season concludes.

Teams typically opt to take grid penalties at circuits where overtaking is more feasible. Therefore, Mercedes plans to install a new power unit for Antonelli at his home race in Monza, scheduled from September 4th to 6th.

Antonelli, who will celebrate his 20th birthday on Tuesday, currently holds a 53-point lead over Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' standings. This advantage was extended after he finished fourth in Saturday's Dutch Grand Prix Sprint.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the Sprint in Zandvoort, Wolff commented on the team's objectives for the remainder of Antonelli's weekend: "We need big points."

"Kimi is likely to drop some positions in Monza starting from the back, so hopefully, we can secure some points here."

George Russell, who narrowed the championship gap to his teammate Antonelli to 56 points by winning Saturday's Sprint, is in a similar situation regarding his power unit component usage. It is anticipated that he will also need to take a penalty before the season's end.

Neither Mercedes nor Russell have yet indicated where the Briton will take his penalty.

The severity of Antonelli's penalty in Monza will depend on the number of different parts Mercedes installs, as he is on the verge of exceeding the limit for several components.

The penalty will be a minimum of 10 places, but if multiple parts are fitted, Antonelli could be forced to start from the back of the grid regardless of his qualifying performance.

Prior to the start of the Sprint, Antonelli's father, Marco, had hinted to Sky Sports F1 that his son would be taking a penalty in Monza.

Antonelli Sr. stated: "We'll see about Monza. It will be difficult, for sure - for many reasons."