After Kimi Antonelli, starting at the back of the grid in Monza for using his fifth engine, George Russell will also have to use an additional power unit and receive a penalty in 2026.
Mercedes’ reliability problems continue to complicate its fight for titles in 2026.
Like championship leader Antonelli in Italy, his teammate will also face this due to the relative fragility of the Mercedes V6s: now it remains to be determined at which Grand Prix the team will choose to take it.
Exceeded allocation
The first half of the season has been particularly demanding for Mercedes power units. Russell lost an engine at the Canadian Grand Prix before encountering a new problem at the end of qualifying in Hungary. Antonelli, on his side, had retired in Barcelona due to an engine failure.
These incidents have gradually reduced the team’s margin for maneuver. With eleven Grands Prix still on the calendar, Mercedes now knows that both its drivers will have to exceed their regulatory allocation. For Antonelli, the decision is already made: his fifth power unit will be installed in Monza, which will condemn the Italian to a climb from the back of the grid in front of his home crowd.
Russell’s situation is different. Third in the championship and currently 59 points behind his teammate, the Briton will also have to accept a penalty, but Mercedes is still looking for the circuit where it will be the least costly.
Mercedes seeks the best moment
Bradley Lord, Mercedes’ deputy team principal, confirms that the decision has not yet been made: “We have not yet determined where George will take his penalty, but both drivers will be affected. George retired in Canada, Kimi in Barcelona, and George also stopped at the end of qualifying in Hungary. If that had happened during the race, the consequences could have been much more significant.”
Mercedes must now find a balance between two risks: continuing to use components that have accumulated significant mileage, with an increased probability of failure, or voluntarily accepting a penalty in order to have fresher equipment for the end of the season.
“We have to manage the remaining events so that both cars reach the end of the season with the newest and most competitive equipment possible,” Lord explains. “It is constantly about finding a compromise between the risk of using heavily used components and the points cost of a grid penalty, then climbing back through the field.”
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Sepang among the possibilities
The choice of circuit could therefore have considerable importance in the fight for the championship.
Several events could allow Mercedes to limit the damage. Madrid will follow Monza, but the lack of references on this new street circuit makes a voluntary penalty particularly risky. Baku, Singapore, and Las Vegas are also possibilities, even if their urban nature could complicate a climb back.
Sepang appears as a potentially interesting option due to the many overtaking opportunities offered by the Malaysian circuit. However, Mercedes would have to accept taking this penalty during Petronas’ home race, its fuel partner.
Austin, Mexico, or Interlagos could also be considered, even if waiting until Brazil would force Russell to accumulate even more kilometers on his current engine pool.
A decision reevaluated after each race
Mercedes does not want to choose too early, however. Andrew Shovlin, track engineering director, recalls that each Grand Prix brings new information on the reliability of the different components.
“Each race adds mileage and lessons at Mercedes as well as at our customer teams. Components are continuously monitored and we assess whether the measures previously taken have resolved the underlying problems,” says the English engineer. “In a few races, we might have more confidence in our ability to use a power unit for six or seven events than we do today. Plans are therefore reevaluated after each weekend.”
Mercedes thus faces a real strategic puzzle. Taking the penalty quickly would offer Russell fresher equipment for the rest of the championship, but waiting could allow the team to better identify the circuit where the loss of positions would be least penalizing.
For Antonelli, the sacrifice will take place as early as Monza. For Russell, the penalty is now inevitable: Mercedes just has to determine when it will cost the least in a championship fight where every point could count.
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