Russell confirms engine penalty for Mercedes' upgraded power unit

George Russell will take an engine penalty when Mercedes introduces its upgraded Formula 1 power unit, expected in late October. The Briton deliberately waited for the new ADUO specification rather than taking a penalty at Monza, where teammate Kimi Antonelli had to start from the back and still won.

Why it matters:

Mercedes is universally recognized as having the best power unit on the grid, yet the ADUO system allows it to upgrade its internal combustion engine based on performance rankings. Red Bull Ford, ranked as the top engine, cannot upgrade. This means Mercedes could extend its advantage during the season's decisive phase.

The details:

• Russell: "We're waiting to take my penalty with the ADUO upgrade. Otherwise, if I took it [in Monza], I'd have to take it again. So it made zero sense for me."
• Antonelli will also take a penalty when the new PU arrives, but having already exceeded his allocation, it will be a five-place grid drop per new component instead of ten.
• Ferrari has already introduced two upgrades this season, while Mercedes is allowed just one. Russell expects the pecking order to evolve in a "very interesting" way once the Silver Arrow receives its update.
• The new power unit is expected to be introduced at Austin or Mexico City in late October.

What's next:

Both Mercedes drivers will serve penalties around the new PU debut, but the team hopes the performance gain will outweigh the grid drops. As Russell put it: "I don't think, as a team, we're under threat. And, I think it'll be very interesting when we bring our upgrades."