Kimi Antonelli braced for Italian GP penalty with George Russell ‘discussions ongoing’

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has confirmed that Kimi Antonelli is set to serve an FIA penalty at next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.

And he says discussions are “ongoing” over where teammate George Russell will take an engine penalty in the second half of the F1 2026 season.

Toto Wolff confirms Kimi Antonelli facing FIA penalty at Italian Grand Prix

Antonelli moved a step closer to a maiden F1 world championship at the Dutch Grand Prix, where he finished second to the race-winning McLaren of Lando Norris.

The youngster holds a 59-point lead over teammate Russell with a maximum of 11 races remaining.

With both Mercedes drivers suffering engine-related retirements earlier this season, Antonelli and Russell will both be forced to take grid penalties in the second half of 2026 for exceeding their component limits.

Kimi Antonelli vs George Russell: Mercedes head-to-head stats for F1 2026 season

F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying records between teammates

F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates

Bradley Lord, the Mercedes deputy team principal, told PlanetF1.com and other select media last month that Antonelli would likely take his penalty at Monza despite the Italian Grand Prix being his home race.

He said: “There could be one that can be very special for Kimi, but on paper looks like it’s a good place to take an engine penalty.”

Speaking after the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend, Wolff confirmed that Antonelli will take a full engine change at his home race.

And he revealed that Mercedes is yet to determine where Russell will take his penalty in the remaining rounds.

Wolff told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “With Kimi, we are taking the full thing.

“In theory, our calculations say that is the best track to take it.

“Obviously, algorithms don’t take the nationality into consideration, but we’re here to fight for a championship and not get the most PR, so that’s what we’re going to do.

“With George, the discussions are ongoing even where to take it.”

Antonelli and Russell have suffered one mechanical retirement apiece so far in 2026.

Russell stopped while leading the Canadian Grand Prix in May, with a Mercedes investigation finding that the British driver’s battery had suffered heat damage.

Antonelli retired in the closing laps in Barcelona a few weeks later, with his stoppage caused by an electrical shutdown originating from a failure within the battery.

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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