Formula 1 is experiencing an unexpected revival in Italy. On Ferrari’s home soil this year, a new name has sparked fever: Kimi Antonelli. The young Italian, who has just turned 20, sits atop the world championship and is the clear favorite to become champion. Now he arrives at Monza, the venue that could crown him, but Mercedes intends to spoil the Italians’ party.
Mercedes has a new engine ready, taking advantage of the gains they’ve secured thanks to the ADUO regulations. The problem is they want to fit it at Monza. If they do, Antonelli will incur a grid penalty and lose almost any chance of winning the race. If they don’t, Antonelli will have to serve the penalty at a circuit where overtaking is very difficult.
An Italian Hasn’t Won at Monza in 60 Years
The Formula 1 visit to Monza in 2026 promised to be the great Italian celebration. The quintessential Ferrari circuit could, this time, make an exception for Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes teenager who is leading the world championship. He could become the first Italian driver to win at Monza in 60 years, but now everything is up in the air.
Mercedes already has its new engine ready, the one they were allowed to develop under the ADUO rules. And Toto Wolff’s plan is to install it at Monza. Although it isn’t the easiest circuit for overtaking, its long straights should offer many more opportunities than Madrid, Baku and Singapore, the three upcoming races.
The very Antonelli himself already confirmed a few weeks ago that they would use the new engine at Monza, but Mercedes has not officialized it yet. The problem is that Antonelli has already used too many components of his power unit. If he fits a new engine, he will incur a grid penalty of at least ten positions.
A punishment that could directly truncate any chance for Antonelli to win the race, a prospect that Italy is eagerly awaiting. An Italian hasn’t won at Monza since 1966, when Ludovico Scarfiotti accomplished it, the only career victory of his life aboard a Ferrari. Before that, only Alberto Ascari’s two wins in 1951 and 1952 stand out.
What seems certain is that George Russell, Antonelli’s teammate at Mercedes, will also mount the new engine at Monza and will receive the corresponding grid penalty. A punishment for Mercedes that could at least pave the way for a victory for the other major Italian contender, Ferrari, which will once again flood the grandstands with red.
Perhaps if the world championship ends up at Imola, as rumors suggest, the Italians will have one last chance to redeem themselves this year with Antonelli.
Imágenes | Mercedes
