Mercedes driver George Russell will receive a grid penalty at the 2026 Singapore GP and will start the race at the back of the grid. The penalty comes as a result of the power unit failure that he suffered towards the end of the Bahrain GP in Malaysia.
George Russell was running in podium positions at the Bahrain GP last weekend when his Mercedes W17 suffered a failure on the start/finish straight behind the safety car, just a few laps before the chequered flag.
Not only was it a significant blow for the Briton in the F1 championship, with Kimi Antonelli finishing P2 and increasing his lead, but the power unit failure has also forced Mercedes to take a new power unit for the Singapore GP.
George Russell had already taken the FIA-allocated power units before the Bahrain GP in Malaysia. Mercedes reportedly planned on taking a new power unit at the US GP at the Circuit of the Americas. However, the Sepang International Circuit failure has forced Mercedes to take additional powertrain components at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
According to the FIA rules, the first time a competitor exceeds the allotted power unit components, a ten-place-grid penalty will be applied. For every subsequent offense, a five-place-grid penalty is applied.
Since it will be George Russell’s first offense, ten-place-grid penalties will be applied for every component. With multiple additional components expected to be taken, the Briton will start at the back of the grid.
The Singapore GP is going to be a sprint weekend, and Russell will start at the back for the main race, but not the sprint race. The Marina Bay Street Circuit is notoriously difficult to overtake, and starting at the back will only make things difficult for the 28-year-old in the championship fight against Antonelli.
George Russell ‘beyond disappointed’ after Bahrain GP retirement
George Russell dominantly won the Azerbaijan GP after taking the pole position. Qualifying at the Bahrain GP was disappointing, but he got off to a great start and was running in P3 before his DNF.
Speaking with Sky after the race, the Briton detailed his disappointment as he said,
“I mean, you’ve almost got to laugh. It’s, you know, beyond disappointment. It’s just so many times this season it’s happened. Yeah, it’s a real shame. Of course it’s a real shame, but just keep on fighting, you know, just keep on trying to go. The podium, of course, looked very certain.”
“Solid race, not amazing race, but solid race. Yeah, not the first time, so I’m pretty used to this feeling and these questions, let’s say,” he added
Russell is 84 points behind Kimi Antonelli in the championship with seven rounds left in the season.
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