George Russell will take a 10-place grid penalty at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix after his retirement in Sepang. The Mercedes driver stopped at Turn 1 entry with five laps remaining due to a power unit failure. This forces a new engine for Marina Bay, and with four power units already used in 2026, the penalty was confirmed by The Athletic.
Starting near the back on Singapore’s tight street circuit will hurt Russell’s chances, especially as he trails championship-leading team-mate Kimi Antonelli by 84 points. Antonelli faced a similar penalty at Monza in September but won from 19th, overtaking Russell en route to victory.
Mercedes has struggled with reliability all season, with engine failures for Antonelli in Barcelona and Russell in Montreal. The team had hoped to take the penalty later, likely in Austin, but the Sepang failure forced their hand. Deputy team principal Bradley Lord noted the team is assessing the impact on Russell’s power unit pool.
Source: Autosport F1 News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing