George Russell confirms F1 grid penalty decision

George Russell has confirmed that he is likely to take an F1 engine grid penalty later in the season as his title hopes fade.

Following the Italian GP at Monza, Russell finds himself 66 points behind team-mate Kimi Antonelli at the top of the drivers' championship after the Italian roared from 19th on the grid to pass Russell and take a seventh win of the season, having started at the back after taking fresh new engine components. 

For Russell, who is almost three grands prix worth of points behind the 20-year-old, his title hopes appear all but over, especially given the fact that he is likely to take a back-of-the-grid penalty himself.

Of the remaining races, it is most likely to come in the Azerbaijan or United States Grands Prix, where overtaking is somewhat easier than at other circuits such as Sepang in Malaysia, which will host the Bahrain GP, or the Singapore race.

Speaking after qualifying at Monza, and before the race where he finished second, Russell confirmed that he will be taking a penalty of his own at a future race.

"Most likely I will be taking a penalty at some point in future races," Russell confirmed to media, including RacingNews365. 

"Hopefully [it will be] once we have the upgrade on the car, which should make it slightly easier than it is currently. 

"Of course, Monza is a great place and a very normal place where people usually take grid penalties, but it’s honestly something I’m not thinking about. 

"The championship isn’t what I’m thinking about. I’m solely thinking about my performance, and this weekend has been a very strong performance. 

"We didn’t nail it when it really mattered [in qualifying] but we’ve still been in the top three every single session this whole weekend. And again, at Zandvoort, qualified on the front row in both the Sprint and the main race. So I’ve been pleased with this momentum since the break."