George Russell could take another grid penalty at the Las Vegas Grand Prix as Mercedes considers fitting an updated power unit element to his car later in the 2026 Formula 1 season.
According to Sky Sports F1 UK, Mercedes had originally expected to introduce the updated component earlier, but recent reliability problems have changed the timing. Russell himself has now indicated that Las Vegas is a possible target, although the final decision has not yet been confirmed.
George Russell could take another Mercedes grid penalty
Russell started from the back of the grid at the recent Singapore Grand Prix after Mercedes was forced to change his power unit following an engine problem in the previous race.
That failure came during the Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia, where George Russell had still been fighting near the front before the problem forced him to retire in the closing stages.
Despite starting from an extremely difficult position in Singapore, the British driver recovered to finish ninth.
With six races remaining, George Russell now sits 102 points behind Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the Drivers’ Championship and is effectively out of the world title fight. A series of reliability problems has played a major role in disrupting his season.
Mercedes originally planned the power unit change for Austin
Before the reliability issues emerged in Malaysia, Mercedes had planned to fit George Russell with a new power unit at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, where an updated element was expected to become available.
The circumstances have since changed. The introduction of the component that was due to coincide with the upgrade has been delayed, meaning Russell now appears more likely to receive it three races later in Las Vegas.
Moving the change to Las Vegas would allow Mercedes to avoid exposing Russell to two separate grid penalties. Instead, the team could combine the unavoidable power unit replacement with the updated element and try to maximise the performance available over the remaining races.
Russell identifies Las Vegas as possible timing
Asked when he expected to receive the updated power unit element that would trigger the grid penalty, George Russell indicated that the decision would probably come later in the season.
“Probably later in the season, to be honest – maybe Las Vegas. But it will happen at some point,” George Russell said.
His comments suggest the change is no longer expected at the next American round in Austin and that Mercedes is still working to determine the most advantageous moment to introduce the component.
Mercedes balancing performance gain against grid position
The timing is important because Mercedes must weigh the potential performance benefit of the updated power unit element against the cost of another compromised starting position.
With Russell already effectively out of the title fight, the team has more flexibility to choose a circuit where taking the penalty could offer the best overall outcome for the remainder of the season.
Las Vegas has therefore emerged as a possible solution, but Russell’s wording makes clear that the plan has not yet been finalised. Mercedes is still evaluating when to introduce the updated element while limiting the sporting impact of another grid drop.
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