RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Kimi Antonelli already knows the Italian Grand Prix will be difficult. A power-unit penalty is expected to send the Formula 1 championship leader toward the back of the grid at Monza. He also suspects another problem will be waiting inside the Mercedes garage.
Throughout 2026, Antonelli has repeatedly targeted race engineer Peter “Bono” Bonnington and other team members with pranks. Bonnington has been soaked with a water pistol, while his access card was secretly blocked at Mercedes’ Brackley headquarters. The team has responded before, but Antonelli believes a larger retaliation is being prepared.
An empty race weekend prevented Mercedes from reaching him when he turned 20 on August 25. The full team will reunite at Monza, giving his colleagues their next opportunity. Antonelli is already preparing for what he calls a “big payback.”
Antonelli Expects Mercedes to Settle Its Prank Score
Oct 19, 2025; Austin, TX, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Kimi Antonelli (12) of Team Italy arrives at the track before the start of the 2025 US Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas Austin. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters) The young Mercedes driver’s main target has been race engineer Peter “Bono” Bonnington. Their exchange began during preseason testing in Bahrain, when Antonelli pushed a cream cake into Bonnington’s face on his birthday. A water pistol was used during the next stage of the prank war.
Antonelli then persuaded Mercedes staff to block his race engineer’s access card across the team’s Brackley facility. He asked them to wait until the engineer tried to enter and pretend they knew nothing. Bono immediately suspected his driver, according to Motorsport.com’s report on the access-card prank .
Mercedes has already responded. During a Silverstone filming day, the 20-year-old driver left black tire marks on the garage floor by spinning the rear wheels as he drove out. Mechanics cleaned the floor and later filled his jacket sleeves with their dirty cloths.
“Obviously, there’s no races, so they can’t get me on my birthday,” the Italian driver said. “I can imagine they’re probably going to get me at Monza. I’m already putting that on the back of my mind that I might get destroyed.”
Monza Brings a Real Penalty for Antonelli
The comments were recorded before the Italian driver turned 20 on August 25. Formula 1 did not hold a race that week, leaving Mercedes without a normal Grand Prix gathering. The official Italian GP schedule brings the team together at Monza from September 4–6.
Any birthday prank will accompany a more serious problem. Mercedes has confirmed that Kimi Antonelli will use new power-unit components at his home race. The resulting penalty is expected to send him to the back of the grid .
Mercedes selected Monza because its long straights provide more passing opportunities than several later circuits. Antonelli accepts that the penalty gives him a chance to recover positions, although it complicates one of his most closely watched weekends.
His championship position leaves little room for a poor result. Antonelli leads George Russell and Lewis Hamilton by 59 points, but Toto Wolff has warned that the advantage remains vulnerable with 11 rounds left.
The crew’s revenge should remain away from the track. Antonelli can afford to lose the prank battle at Monza. Losing points from the back of the grid would carry a larger cost.
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