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Russell Penalized to Start at Back in Singapore GP
Confirmed
In Short: Mercedes driver George Russell will start from the back of the grid in Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix due to a power unit penalty.
Mercedes driver George Russell will start from the back of the grid in Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix after suffering a power unit failure during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia last Sunday.
According to Sky, Russell's failure while running third in the race necessitates a new power unit, which will trigger a grid penalty at one of Formula 1’s most difficult circuits for overtaking.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirmed the penalty, stating, “Malaysia was obviously a very difficult weekend for us. The characteristics of the Singapore circuit are very different, and that will help us build a clearer picture of where we are.”
Russell has already used his permitted allocation of four power units, meaning another change will result in a grid penalty. This setback comes as Mercedes investigates why its major aerodynamic upgrade introduced at Sepang apparently made the W17 slower.
Wolff added, “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.”
The penalty will apply to Sunday's Grand Prix and not the sprint race on Saturday. Extra points are on offer this weekend as Singapore hosts the sixth and final sprint event of the season.
Ralf Schumacher believes Mercedes must now accept that Russell’s championship challenge is effectively finished and concentrate on protecting Antonelli’s lead. Schumacher said, “They have to think as a team and get both of them home in the championship. That means the internal fight is now almost impossible, unless they have a weekend like in Baku, where George was much faster.”
Antonelli, who finished second behind Max Verstappen in Malaysia, now leads Russell by 84 points with seven races left in the season.
Wolff emphasized, “We have spent the days since [last Sunday] working hard to understand why our performance was not where it should have been. We need to keep learning and score the strongest result we can with both cars.”
What this adds
Mercedes had been planning to introduce an upgraded power unit under the FIA’s ADUO system at Austin later this month, but the team could now bring it forward for Russell at Singapore.
What's confirmed
- "[Russell's penalty] is particularly frustrating given the way he drove last weekend and the result he deserved to be fighting for," said Wolff.
- "We have spent the days since [last Sunday] working hard to understand why our performance was not where it should have been," Wolff added.
What's still developing
- Mercedes had been planning to introduce an upgraded power unit under the FIA’s ADUO system at Austin later this month, but Sky reports the team could now bring it forward for Russell at Singapore.
- “That’s not an easy thing to unpick,” he said.
- “Practically speaking, now that they also have a problem with pace, they have to do everything they can to help Kimi as well,” he told Sky Deutschland.
- That would potentially avoid a further penalty later in the season.