George Russell will likely incur a grid penalty at November's Las Vegas Grand Prix after Mercedes confirmed plans to introduce a new power unit specification at that race rather than the upcoming United States Grand Prix in Austin.
The British driver started from the back of the grid at Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix following a power unit change necessitated by an engine failure during the previous round in Malaysia, where he was forced to retire late in the race. Despite the disadvantageous starting position, Russell fought back to finish ninth.
That recovery effort has done little to improve his championship position. Russell now sits 102 points adrift of his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli with six rounds remaining, effectively ending his realistic hopes of claiming the 2026 drivers' title.
Mercedes had originally scheduled the introduction of their power unit upgrade for the United States Grand Prix, which takes place next weekend in Austin on October 23-25. However, the team has now decided to defer the installation until the Las Vegas event on November 20-22, allowing them to select a venue where overtaking opportunities are more favourable.
The Brackley-based outfit is utilising the upgrade opportunity granted under the FIA's ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) system, which permits teams to develop engine components outside the normal regulatory framework. Mercedes qualified for this concession due to their power unit performance being ranked below Red Bull's by the sport's governing body.
That assessment sparked disagreement from Red Bull, with the Milton Keynes team arguing that Mercedes, who currently lead the Constructors' Championship by a substantial margin, already possess the superior engine.
When asked by Sky Sports F1 about the timing of the upgraded power unit element, Russell explained the strategic thinking behind the decision.
It will probably be later in the season now to be honest - maybe Las Vegas. But it will be there at some point,he said.
Now we have the choice to take it when we wish and we will choose slightly easier tracks [to overtake at].
Russell targets recovery as Mercedes struggles with upgrades
Russell arrived at the 2026 season as the championship favourite, with widespread expectation that Mercedes would field the strongest car and that Antonelli, competing in only his second Formula 1 campaign, would lack the experience to mount a serious title challenge. The reality has proven starkly different, with Antonelli outpacing his team-mate significantly, securing eight victories compared to Russell's three.
Mercedes introduced an upgrade package at the Malaysia Grand Prix that failed to deliver the performance gains they anticipated. The team responded by reverting Russell to the pre-upgrade specification while running the new components on Antonelli's car during the Singapore weekend.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen demonstrated commanding pace throughout Singapore's Sprint weekend, topping every competitive session. Russell held the lead during the Sprint race itself before crashing out of contention.
Russell acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing Mercedes as they attempt to recover their competitive edge.
The goal right now is to try to improve the car. We were very much the dominant team for this whole season,he told Sky Sports F1.
You look at the recent races and Red Bull have been very much best. In Baku, Max was a similar level to me. We go to Malaysia, a totally different track, and Singapore another different track, and he's dominated the last two weekends.
Right now, the goal is to try and get on top of these updates.
Antonelli confident Mercedes will unlock upgrade potential
Antonelli claimed a podium finish at Singapore after executing late-race overtakes on McLaren's Lando Norris and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. He crossed the line 25 seconds behind race-winner Verstappen, but remains optimistic about Mercedes' trajectory.
The championship leader believes Red Bull have achieved a significant performance step forward, while Mercedes have yet to fully realise the potential of their own upgrade package.
I feel like it was a very progressive weekend, where we started off the pace and I've definitely been struggling with the new package,Antonelli explained.
But the team did incredibly well on putting the car in a better window. And now we understand a lot more the aero package, how it works, which is very different compared to the old one. It's about trying to find the right window for the car.
He added:
All in all, I feel like we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and we're going to keep pushing on this package because, also on my side, I want to help the team as much as possible in trying to understand it, also to understand which way to take for the future car as well.
The championship battle has shifted dramatically since the season began. Earlier in the campaign, Russell demonstrated his capability by securing pole position at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a dominant qualifying display, while Antonelli crashed in the opening session. However, that form has not translated into sustained success as the season has progressed.
The championship situation has become increasingly challenging for Russell. The 102-point deficit with six races remaining leaves him requiring near-perfect results while hoping for significant underperformance from Antonelli to have any mathematical chance of recovery.
What happens next
Formula 1 moves to the Americas for a triple-header beginning with the United States Grand Prix in Austin on October 23-25, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Russell will compete without the upgraded power unit at this event, meaning he can start from a normal grid position. The Las Vegas Grand Prix follows later in November, where he will take the penalty associated with the new power unit installation.
