George Russell must already prepare to receive a penalty in the Formula 1 season. After Mercedes confirmed that Kimi Antonelli will receive a punishment at the Italian GP, it is also the British driver’s turn – although it is not specified when.
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Precisely in his home race, the championship leader will start from the last position on the grid after exceeding the limit of engine changes. It is also possible that the team will take the opportunity to introduce a fully updated part after fitting once again in the ADUO.
Then, Bradley Lord, the team’s deputy chief, also confirmed that Russell will follow the same path as his Italian teammate. However, it has not yet been determined when the British driver’s moment will be in the F1 season.
“We have not yet decided where George will serve his penalty, but both drivers will be affected,” he said in an interview with the Nu Silver Arrows podcast.
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“George retired in Canada, Kimi retired in Barcelona, and George also stopped at the end of qualifying in Hungary. If this had happened during the race, the impact could have been much greater,” he added.
Antonelli leads the Drivers’ World Championship by 59 points. It so happens that McLaren is starting to recover and Lando Norris won the last two rounds, beginning to reduce the gap to the Mercedes driver.
Therefore, Andrew Shovlin, the team’s track engineering director, said they are monitoring Russell’s situation and evaluating the best circuit to make the change. “Our confidence in using a power unit until the sixth or seventh race may be higher in a few races than it is today, so plans are reviewed after each weekend.”
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