George Russell: Mercedes confirm grid penalty but where will British driver take new power unit in 2026 F1 season? | F1 News

Mercedes have confirmed George Russell will take a grid penalty for exceeding his engine allocation, but are yet to decide which race to serve it at.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli will start at the back of the field at the next Formula 1 race in Italy next weekend, but Russell will also face the same repercussions at a race later this season.

Despite having the best car for the majority of this year, both Mercedes drivers have suffered from engine unreliability and will need more than the four allotted power units for this season, thus incurring grid penalties.

“We have not finalised where George will take his penalty, but both drivers will be affected,” said Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord on the team’s Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show.

“George retired in Canada, Kimi retired in Barcelona, and George also stopped at the end of qualifying in Hungary. Had that happened in the race, the impact could have been much greater.

“We must manage the remaining events so that both cars reach the end of the season with the freshest and best-performing hardware possible. It is a constant trade-off between the risk of running high-mileage components and the points cost of taking a grid penalty and recovering through the field.”

Antonelli leads Russell and Lewis Hamilton by 59 points in the Drivers’ Championship with 11 scheduled events remaining, although there is uncertainty about the final races on the calendar in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Lando Norris, the winner of the last two races, is 83 points behind Antonelli and could make further inroads at the Italian Grand Prix next Sunday.

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin says the team will continue to assess where Russell takes his grid penalty.

“Every race adds mileage and learning across Mercedes and the customer teams. Components are checked continually, and we assess whether previous containment measures have solved the underlying issues,” he said.

“Our confidence in running a power unit to a sixth or seventh event may be higher in a few races than it is today, so the plans are reviewed after every weekend.”

Are F1 budget cap rules the reason for Mercedes’ lack of development?

Following their double podium at Zandvoort, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed the Silver Arrows do not have the money to respond to the growing threat from McLaren and Ferrari.

Mercedes have lost their early-season pace advantage and have brought the fewest developments of the front-running teams this season.

On the FIA’s upgrades declaration sheet, Mercedes have fitted 24 new parts to their car compared to 37 for Red Bull, 38 for McLaren and 40 for Ferrari.

Since 2021, F1 has had financial regulations which limit the teams’ budget they can spend each year to ensure costs do not get out of hand.

Lord suggested the budget cap regulations and Mercedes putting more money into the car at the start of this year means they have less resource for in-season development.

“It is the reality every team faces under the cost cap. Formula 1 organisations must balance headcount and salary costs against the money available for hardware,” he explained.

“They must consider how much of the current car was produced this year rather than last, how many spare parts to manufacture and how much stock to carry at the factory and with the race team.

“Every team is trying to find the optimum balance. We continue to find performance in the wind tunnel, but the challenge is deciding when to convert that virtual gain into real parts. With a floor, for example, do you manufacture a new one as soon as performance is found, or align the upgrade with the point at which a fresh floor is required simply to complete the season? Finding those efficiencies is the art within the science.

“A team in catch-up mode may make different choices from one that is leading. By the time we race in Mexico, Brazil and Las Vegas [in November], it does not necessarily follow that another team will have introduced more total performance. It may simply have released it in smaller, more frequent steps.”

Shovlin also hinted Mercedes could already be looking at next year’s car concept, which is another reason behind their development plan.

“If we believed these [2026] championships depended on having an update at Zandvoort, we would probably have found a way to achieve it,” he said.

“We are in the enviable position of leading, so it is logical not to throw as many parts at the current car as competitors who are chasing. We must remain competitive this year while also thinking about the next championship.

“Being in front allows a little more long-term thinking. We have made calculated decisions about the most cost-efficient route to the end of the year. After every race, however, we reassess whether we are doing enough, bringing enough and whether anything can be pulled forward.”

Formula 1 heads to Monza for Ferrari’s home race at the Italian Grand Prix on September 4-6, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime