George Russell discloses the timing of when he plans to serve his own F1 engine penalty.

George Russell has announced that he will accept an engine penalty when Mercedes rolls out its enhanced Formula 1 power unit.

Both drivers for Mercedes have either surpassed or are projected to surpass their power unit quota for the 2026 season. Kimi Antonelli did so last weekend in Monza, where he incurred a back-of-the-grid penalty and navigated through the pack to secure a remarkable win from 19th position.

Russell, however, is biding his time for Mercedes to unveil its engine upgrades to receive a completely new powertrain. This is anticipated to happen in late October, during the Austin or Mexico City events.

“We're waiting to take my penalty with the ADUO upgrade,” the British driver stated. “If I took it [in Monza], I would have to repeat it. It made no sense for me.”

Even though Mercedes is widely acknowledged as having the top power unit, the team has been granted the opportunity to enhance it through the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities system, which is determined by the performance of the internal combustion engine. Red Bull Ford has been designated as the leading engine and is thus ineligible for upgrades to its powertrain.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Antonelli will also incur a penalty when Mercedes launches its new power unit, but since he has already exceeded his limit, this will result in only a five-place penalty for each new component instead of the usual 10 spots.

“So we're changing everything now to avoid issues later on,” the Italian explained in Monza. “As I mentioned before, this is the best track to do it."

Interestingly, teams like Ferrari have already implemented two upgrades this season – while Mercedes is permitted just one – leading Russell to anticipate a shift in the competitive landscape in a “very interesting” manner once the Silver Arrow is upgraded.

“I don't believe we are under threat as a team. I think it will be quite intriguing when we bring our upgrades,” he remarked.

Additional reporting by Filip Cleeren and Roberto Chinchero