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Antonelli set for hefty grid penalty as Mercedes plans power unit change Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli is set to take a significant grid penalty at his home Italian Grand Prix after Mercedes confirmed plans to fit a new power unit at Monza. Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff revealed the news at Zandvoort, with the team accepting that it needs to introduce additional power unit components to avoid further reliability problems later in the season. The decision comes as Mercedes manages its power unit allocation following the reliability issues Antonelli has experienced during his breakthrough 2026 campaign. Under the regulations, exceeding the permitted allocation of power unit elements triggers a grid penalty at the first event in which the additional components are used. For Antonelli, that event is expected to be his home race at Monza. Wolff confirms Antonelli will start from the backSpeaking to Sky Sports F1 after Saturday's Sprint at Zandvoort, where Antonelli finished fourth, Wolff acknowledged that the Italian will likely lose valuable points at Monza as a result of the penalty. “We need big points. Kimi is going to probably lose some in Monza starting in the back, so hopefully we can pocket some here,” Wolff said. The Mercedes boss's comments effectively confirm that the team has decided to accept the penalty at the Italian Grand Prix rather than risk continuing with components that could compromise Antonelli's reliability for the remainder of the championship. The exact size of the penalty will depend on which power unit components Mercedes changes. At minimum, Antonelli faces a 10-place grid drop, while replacing multiple components could result in a significantly larger penalty and potentially leave him starting towards the back of the field regardless of his qualifying performance. Why Mercedes has chosen MonzaWhile taking a grid penalty at his home race is far from ideal, Monza represents one of the more favourable circuits on which to absorb such a setback. The Italian circuit's long straights and numerous overtaking opportunities should give Antonelli a better chance of recovering positions during the race than he would have at a track such as Zandvoort, where overtaking is considerably more difficult. Mercedes has therefore opted to take the hit at a circuit where Antonelli should have the opportunity to fight his way back through the field. The decision also reflects the team's desire to avoid a repeat of the reliability problems that have already cost Antonelli valuable points this season. Mercedes has accepted that a fresh power unit is necessary to reduce the risk of further technical failures during the championship run-in.