Kimi Antonelli potential engine penalty plan revealed by Toto Wolff

Mercedes are edging closer to engine penalties for both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, with Toto Wolff admitting the team is already considering where to take the inevitable grid drops.

One possible venue is Monza, as while that would mean a back-of-the-grid start for Antonelli at his home track, it would take the pressure off the championship leader’s shoulders.

Toto Wolff explains Kimi Antonelli and George Russell engine penalty dilemma

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Antonelli and Russell have both closed in on power unit penalties.

Mercedes fitted a new internal combustion engine to Antonelli’s W17 at the Belgian Grand Prix after discovering a potential issue in his Silverstone engine.

The Italian took a fourth ICE and a fourth exhaust set, with the drivers limited to only four of each component before the penalties begin to rack up.

Should he move on to a fifth of either component, he would be handed a 10-place grid penalty – 20 places if both parts are changed.

Mercedes also fitted Antonelli’s car with a second MGU-K, of which three are allowed, and a fifth power unit ancillary component. The PU-ANC allocation for the season is six.

Russell, meanwhile, took his fourth power unit after qualifying in Hungary, having stopped on track when the team detected a loss of water pressure during Q3.

Mercedes fitted his W17 with a new power unit, with Russell telling PlanetF1.com and other accredited media: “I’m sort of past the point of disappointment now, because if I continue to be disappointed with everything that goes on, I’ll just be disappointed every day of the week. So I’ve got to stay positive.”

Russell, however, is also now one power unit failure away from a grid penalty.

Mercedes team principal Wolff is hoping his drivers can avoid it, but with 12 races remaining, it is perhaps more of a case of finding the perfect venue to take the grid drop.

“In terms of engine penalties, I still very much hope we don’t need to take it,” he told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media in Budapest.

But, if it comes to it, Wolff hinted that Monza would be the ideal venue, especially for Antonelli.

Not only does the track offer overtaking opportunities for a fast car fitted with a fresh internal combustion engine, but it would also take the pressure off the Italian’s shoulders at his home track.

“We need to decide when that is,” Wolff continued, “when we need to take one, and which tracks.

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

“So need to speak about whether we want to take an engine penalty in Monza.

“We take the pressure off him in Monza to start from the back.

“It’s just, you know, our reliability has been just not good. Whether we take a penalty or not, we shall see.”

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Engine penalties could yet play a role in the championship.

Mercedes and its customer teams have suffered several power unit-related issues, with Lando Norris the first to take an engine penalty when his McLaren MCL40 was fitted with a new power electrics unit that exceeded his limit for the season.

Norris qualified third but lined up P13 and could only recover to seventh in the Grand Prix.

Antonelli leads the Drivers’ standings by 50 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton, with Russell a further nine off the pace.

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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