Russell Names Las Vegas as Likely Venue for Another Engine Penalty

George Russell has revealed he plans to take another Formula 1 grid penalty at the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November, accepting that his championship hopes for 2026 are effectively over.

The Mercedes driver started the Singapore Grand Prix from the back of the grid after fitting a new power unit that exceeded his permitted component allocation for the season. That change was forced by a late power-unit failure during the previous race weekend in Malaysia, which left him short on engine parts for the remaining rounds.

Mercedes is expected to introduce an upgraded power-unit specification under Formula 1's Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities later in the season, and Russell says the team will choose the moment that hurts least. "It will probably be later in the season now to be honest — maybe Las Vegas," he told Sky Sports F1. "Now we have the choice to take it when we wish and we will choose slightly easier tracks to overtake at."

Russell finished ninth in Singapore after starting 19th, and the points swing leaves him 102 points behind Mercedes teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who could seal a maiden world title as early as the United States Grand Prix in Austin. That would require Antonelli to win in Texas with Russell ninth or lower and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton fifth or lower.

With the title gone, Russell says his goal is to help Mercedes fix the upgrade package it debuted in Malaysia. "Right now, the goal is to try and get on top of these updates," he said, admitting Red Bull have been "very much best" in recent races.