Mercedes is considering taking a penalty at the Italian GP with an engine switch.
Mercedes has been suffering engine troubles recently. Lewis Hamilton suffered it most recently, when his car stopped on track during FP2 of the Dutch GP after an engine failure. There are nine races left to go in the season, Mercedes feels this is the appropriate time to take a penalty.
Wolff confirmed that Mercedes is considering taking a penalty at the Italian GP with an engine switch. Speaking at IAA Mobility in Munich, Germany, Wolff revealed the decision.
“Our engines…critical component that fails, has failed at times. Well, we need to take another one in Italy this week,” he said.
A Mercedes spokesperson also told GP Fans that although the decision had not been taken yet, Monza seems like the perfect track on paper to give it a go. Mercedes want to add a fourth engine into its pool, and they would be foolish to not take up the option at this point in the season.
It is not known whether Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas will be the one to take a penalty. However, given Hamilton has been the one to suffer engine troubles, it will most likely be him.
Intent
Monza has been a playground for Mercedes in the hybrid era. They have won five times in seven years, but haven’t won in the last two years. Wolff is focused on the upcoming one, and said that Mercedes’ mission is clear.
“We have nine races to go in this championship fight and the battle is only going to get more intense, but our mission is clear,” Wolff said.
“As we visit Monza to finish this triple-header, we face a completely different track and challenge, which is exciting for all of us. It’s a historic and unique circuit, with the lowest downforce levels of the season and most of the lap spent at full throttle.
“It’s also the second race weekend with the Sprint Qualifying format, so that’ll add some extra spice to the mix, too. We learned lessons on the new format at Silverstone and look forward to bringing that knowledge with us into this weekend,” he concluded.
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