Kimi Antonelli Gets Grid Penalty, Reason and Starting Position In Italian GP

Kimi Antonelli will not start the Italian Grand Prix in the front row; rather, he will start from the rear due to a grid penalty for an engine upgrade ahead of the race.

The Mercedes driver will start in Monza at the back of the grid after replacing his engine power unit, which was ruled to be an undue advantage. He has already exhausted his energy allowance of power unit components for the season.

Kimi is the home favourite in Monza and has never won a race in Monza. Last season, he finished in the top 10. However, he is a different driver this year - his second year with the team. He is the leading driver in the F1 Championship race with 51 points ahead of the nearest driver. 

After the Hungarian Grand Prix in Zandvoort, Mercedes' principal, Toto Wolff, had spoken about the impending grid penalty and admitted it is the best time for the team to upgrade Kimi's car, despite the risk of being penalised. 

"With Kimi, we're taking the full thing. Our calculations say that that's the best track to take it," Wolff said, admittedly. "We're here to fight for the Championship and not get the most PR. So yeah, that's what we're going to do." 

Monza circuit is suitable for testing the upgrade because of its long straights and corners that allow for overtaking. Mercedes did this with Lewis Hamilton in 2021,  but his upgrade was introduced at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. At that time, the FIA had not introduced the new rule of a 50/50 split between the combustion engine (fuel) unit and the electric power unit, otherwise known as the MGU-K.