George Russell revealed that Mercedes is considering delaying his next Formula 1 engine penalty until the Las Vegas Grand Prix, after recovering from 19th on the grid to finish ninth in Singapore on Sunday. The British driver also acknowledged that Red Bull has become the strongest team in recent races, leaving Mercedes searching for answers to its latest aerodynamic developments.
Russell’s Singapore weekend had already been compromised by a 60-place cumulative grid penalty following multiple power-unit component changes. Although he qualified sixth, the sanctions left him 19th on the grid after three other drivers were moved to pit-lane starts.
The Mercedes driver managed to recover into the points but admitted that a Virtual Safety Car period ended at an unfortunate moment for his strategy, preventing him from gaining more positions.
“Yeah, I mean, the VSC ended as it came to the pits. So 10 seconds more could have helped me out quite a lot,” Russell told Sky Sports F1.
“Anyway, it was always going to be very difficult coming from the back. It’s been a bit of a shame these last two weekends. You know, it could have panned out very differently.”
The result was another setback after his retirement from third place at Sepang, where a power-unit failure contributed to the sequence of component changes required in Singapore.
Russell identifies Las Vegas as possible destination for another engine penalty
Despite already serving a substantial grid penalty at Marina Bay, Russell expects Mercedes to introduce another power-unit change before the end of the season. The team is now evaluating when to make that move, with Las Vegas emerging as a possible destination.
Asked by Sky Sports F1 whether he would need another engine penalty in Austin, potentially linked to Mercedes’ ADUO development programme, Russell suggested that the team could wait longer.
“Yeah, I mean, it’ll probably be later in the season now, to be honest. Maybe looking at Vegas,” Russell said.
“But it will be there at some point. But now we’ve got the choice to take it when we wish, and we’ll be choosing a slightly easier track for this one.”
The comments indicate that Mercedes is considering the overtaking opportunities available at different circuits before deciding where to absorb another grid sanction. Russell’s recovery at Marina Bay demonstrated that points were possible even from the back, but also illustrated how difficult it can be to recover positions at a street circuit.
Mercedes had already been evaluating how to combine Russell’s engine penalties with potential power-unit improvements. The latest comments suggest that the timing remains flexible rather than fixed for the United States Grand Prix.
The situation follows the engine failure at Sepang that forced Mercedes to exceed Russell’s component allocation. Before Sunday’s race, further changes to the energy store and control electronics increased his accumulated Singapore penalty to 60 positions.
Russell admits Red Bull has overtaken Mercedes on performance
Beyond the power-unit situation, Russell expressed concern about Mercedes’ declining competitive position.
Max Verstappen has won the last two Grands Prix at Sepang and Singapore, demonstrating Red Bull’s competitiveness at circuits with very different characteristics. The Dutchman also won Saturday’s sprint at Marina Bay and secured pole position for Sunday’s race.
Russell acknowledged that Mercedes had been the dominant team for much of 2026, but admitted that the competitive balance has changed.
“We were very much the dominant team for this whole season. And you look at the recent races, Red Bull have been very much the best,” he said.
“On Baku, Max was similar level to me. You go to Malaysia, totally different track. You go to Singapore, totally different track again. And he’s dominated the last two weekends. So right now, as a team, the goal is to try and get on top of these updates.”
The assessment echoes Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies’ surprise at Verstappen’s consecutive dominant weekends. The team had not expected its improvement at Sepang to translate so effectively to Singapore, where the demands on the car are substantially different.
Mercedes, meanwhile, has been evaluating the aerodynamic package introduced in Malaysia. Russell returned to an older specification in Singapore, while teammate Kimi Antonelli continued with the newer development package.
The contrast was evident in the final classification. Antonelli finished third and increased his championship advantage over Russell to 102 points, while the British driver collected only two points for ninth place.
Russell’s result also left him facing a difficult championship situation. As GRANDE PRÊMIO examined after Antonelli’s Singapore podium, the Italian could secure his first world title at the next round if the necessary mathematical conditions are met.
For Russell, the immediate challenge is to recover competitiveness while Mercedes continues developing its car and managing the remaining power-unit allocation.
Formula 1 returns for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas on October 23–25. GRANDE PRÊMIO continues its Formula 1 coverage as Mercedes evaluates its upgrades and the timing of Russell’s next engine change.
