Antonelli to start from back at Italian GP after engine penalty

Kimi Antonelli will start from the back of the grid at his home Italian Grand Prix after Mercedes confirmed a planned engine change for the 20-year-old championship leader. Despite the penalty, Antonelli said he is willing to support teammate George Russell in qualifying by providing a tow if the team requests it. The decision to take a new power unit comes after reliability issues for Mercedes this season. Antonelli suffered a power unit-related failure while running second at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, and the team later discovered an underlying hardware issue following the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. This forced an earlier-than-planned engine rotation, triggering the grid penalty for the race at Monza on September 7, 2026. Antonelli leads the Drivers' Championship with 242 points, holding a 59-point advantage over both Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. With his own qualifying position already compromised, the team has discussed strategy for the session. Antonelli confirmed he would be happy to help Russell gain an advantage through a slipstream on Monza's long straights.