Alex Albon’s Italian Grand Prix has been reshaped before it’s even begun. The Williams driver will line up at the very back of the grid at Monza after a heavy 20-place penalty for power unit changes.
Williams have bolted a fifth Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and a fourth Control Electronics Unit (PU-CE) into Albon’s Mercedes-powered car, a move that triggers two separate 10-place grid drops under Formula 1’s strict allocation rules.
The regulations are unforgiving. The first time a driver exceeds their allowance for any power unit component, the sanction is a 10-place penalty. Go over the limit with the same element again and it becomes a five-place hit, with every infringement at the same event stacking up. Once the total climbs beyond 15 grid places, the numbers stop mattering. The driver is simply sent to the back of the field.
That’s where Albon will be on Sunday.
He will not be alone. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli is also paying the price for fresh hardware at the Temple of Speed. The Italian has taken on a fifth ICE, a fourth PU-CE and a fourth Energy Store (ES), a combination that adds up to a notional 30-place grid drop and the same ultimate outcome: the rear of the pack.
The penalties clear the way for new components at one of the calendar’s most demanding power circuits, but they also lock both drivers into damage-limitation mode when the lights go out.
If the stewards’ room stays quiet between now and race day, Albon and Antonelli will share the back row at Monza, two quick cars buried in traffic on the fastest track of the season.
