Mercedes driver and 2026 Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli has changed his engine ahead of Practice One at the Belgian Grand Prix. The 19-year-old moves to his final penalty-free power unit of the season following a precautionary swap by his garage.
Key Details
- Mercedes identified a potential data anomaly from the power unit Antonelli utilized at the British Grand Prix.
- Antonelli avoids a grid penalty for Spa-Francorchamps but sits on the absolute limit for the remainder of the calendar.
- Championship rival Lando Norris has already been hit with a 10-place grid drop for this exact race.
The German constructor initiated the change after reviewing telemetry from Silverstone. Engineers are currently evaluating the hardware in hopes of clearing it for reuse later in the season. Any future failure that requires a new unit will trigger an automatic grid penalty for the championship leader.
While Antonelli starts his weekend without a penalty, the McLaren garage is already compensating for one. Lando Norris faces a penalty after mechanics installed a fourth battery and fresh Mercedes engine components into his car. This aggressive hardware rotation comes as McLaren receives the latest engine specification for both of its drivers in Belgium.
Mercedes has battled intermittent power unit issues throughout the 2026 campaign. The engineering team recently deployed reliability fixes after a sharp temperature spike and battery glitch forced Antonelli to retire at the Barcelona Grand Prix. The Italian driver hits the track at Spa-Francorchamps for the 10th round of the championship with zero margin for mechanical error.