Mercedes Team Principal, Toto Wolff has confirmed that George Russell will take a grid penalty for a power unit change at the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix.
Russell suffered a power unit failure at the start of lap 50 during the Bahrain GP in Malaysia under the safety car when he was running in third place, and Mercedes have opted to fit a new power unit following further inspection and analysis.
The change means that Russell has exceeded his allocated number of power units and will now start the Singapore GP from the back of the grid, just one year on from having won the event from pole on F1’s visit in 2025.
Russell’s penalty however will only be applied to the main race, meaning that he is free to participate in the sprint qualifying and sprint race without the effects of his penalty applied.
Explaining the challenge awaiting Russell, Wolff revealed to the constructor’s website that the Brit’s focus has to be on fighting his way into the top ten.
“George has the added challenge of a power unit penalty, which will mean starting from the back of the grid on Sunday, following the engine failure in Malaysia. That is particularly frustrating given the way he drove last weekend and the result he deserved to be fighting for.
“Unfortunately, these things are part of the sport and our focus now is on giving him the best possible car and opportunities to fight back through the field.”
Wolff added that the team must work to “maximise” their potential in the final sprint weekend of the season.
“We need to maximise this final Sprint weekend of the year, keep learning, and score the strongest result we can with both cars. Singapore will be an important test of our understanding and our resilience as a team.”
Russell now sits 84 points adrift of his teammate and championship leader, Andrea Kimi Antonelli with seven rounds left in the season.
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