Kimi Antonelli could reach the end of the 2026 Formula 1 season without having to serve another power-unit penalty, with Mercedes planning to manage the championship leader’s existing engine pool while also giving him access to its new ADUO turbo. The strategy is not guaranteed to succeed, but the return of a recovered power unit at Sepang gives Mercedes an important opportunity to avoid another grid drop during the decisive stages of the title fight.
The situation is different for George Russell. While Kimi Antonelli has enough remaining turbo allocation to receive the upgraded component without a penalty, his Mercedes team-mate is expected to introduce a fifth power unit at Austin, where a grid penalty is considered unavoidable.
Kimi Antonelli to reuse recovered Baku power unit at Sepang
Kimi Antonelli will receive some positive news for the Sepang weekend. Mercedes intends to reinstall the power unit with which the Italian began the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend before he was forced to stop in an escape road midway through FP1.
The problem affecting the unit also triggered the beginning of a fire, requiring marshals to use extinguishers on the car. Once covered in extinguishing fluid, the power unit was removed and replaced by PU5, the unit that had made its debut at Monza and had already cost Kimi Antonelli a start from the back of the grid.
After the Baku unit returned to Mercedes’ technicians, it underwent all the necessary inspections before being restored and prepared for further use. That power unit will now return to Kimi Antonelli’s car at Sepang.
The development is particularly important for the remainder of the season. Mercedes wants to try to complete the championship using only the components already included in Kimi Antonelli’s pool, thereby avoiding another grid penalty at a crucial stage of the battle for the Formula 1 World Championship.
The plan inevitably depends on the reliability of the available units. Mercedes does not have a large safety margin, but for now there is enough confidence in the recovered equipment to attempt the strategy.
Kimi Antonelli has an advantage with Mercedes’ ADUO turbo
Another factor works in Kimi Antonelli’s favour. Mercedes’ ADUO development work has been focused for some time on the turbocharger, an upgrade expected to become especially significant during the Mexico City and São Paulo rounds.
Mexico in particular places heavy demands on the turbo because of the circuit’s altitude. Mercedes’ larger turbo solution is expected to provide benefits in those conditions.
Kimi Antonelli’s component usage gives Mercedes useful flexibility. Power-unit records from the season show that the Italian has so far used only three turbochargers, while George Russell has already reached his fourth.
This means Mercedes can update Kimi Antonelli’s PU5 – the unit introduced at Monza and subsequently used again in Baku – by installing the ADUO turbo without triggering a grid penalty.
That could prove particularly valuable during the part of the season in which the characteristics of the upgraded component are expected to offer their greatest advantage.
George Russell expected to take Mercedes engine penalty at Austin
George Russell faces a different situation. The British driver is still working through the components permitted under the regulations, but the introduction of a fifth power unit is regarded as inevitable.
Mercedes plans to combine that change with the arrival of the ADUO turbo. The switch is scheduled for the Austin weekend and is expected to result in a grid penalty for George Russell.
The decision fits Mercedes’ wider strategy of timing fresh components and upgrades together rather than risking multiple separate penalties during the closing stages of the season.
Why Mercedes did not give Kimi Antonelli a new engine in Baku
Mercedes had an interesting opportunity to alter that strategy during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend. After Kimi Antonelli’s qualifying mistake left him 16th on the grid, it appeared logical for the team to consider introducing another fresh power unit.
The sporting cost would have been relatively limited. Kimi Antonelli would have lost only another six positions compared with the grid slot he had already secured in qualifying, and he was going to start from the back half of the field regardless.
On paper, it appeared to be an ideal opportunity to add another fresh power unit to his available pool for the final part of the championship.
Mercedes instead chose to continue with PU5, which had already been homologated at Monza. The team explained that it did not want to make Kimi Antonelli’s recovery through the field even more difficult.
There is also a suspicion that the cost cap applying to power-unit manufacturers may be another factor that cannot be ignored. At this stage of the season, with financial margins becoming increasingly tight, spending limits can also influence how manufacturers manage available components.
Recovered PU4 could give Mercedes more flexibility
Mercedes therefore decided against taking advantage of Kimi Antonelli’s 16th-place starting position in Baku and instead maintained its original power-unit programme.
The return of PU4 at Sepang is an important part of that plan. If the unit proves to have been fully recovered, Mercedes will have greater freedom to distribute mileage across the remaining races, while PU5 can be updated with the new ADUO turbo.
The strategy could allow Kimi Antonelli to complete the championship without serving any further engine-related penalties while still benefiting from Mercedes’ latest development during the final flyaway races.
For a driver leading the World Championship, that would be far from a minor advantage. Every grid position can become crucial in the closing stages of a title fight, particularly with Mercedes team-mate George Russell still applying pressure after reducing the gap in Baku.
The next stage of the plan will be tested at Sepang, with the full 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang schedule and circuit guide outlining the weekend on which Kimi Antonelli’s recovered power unit is expected to return to action.
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