GEORGE RUSSELL SET TO START FROM THE BACK OF THE GRID IN SINGAPORE
George Russell will start the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix from the back of the grid after Mercedes confirmed that he will need a new power unit following his retirement at the previous round in Malaysia. The Briton suffered a power unit failure while running third with five laps remaining at Sepang, losing what looked like a certain podium finish.
Russell has already used the four power units allowed per driver for the 2026 season. The new unit therefore takes him over the permitted allocation and results in a grid penalty. Mercedes has confirmed that this will put Russell at the back of the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix, although the penalty does not apply to Saturday’s Sprint.
The timing is particularly difficult because Singapore is one of the hardest circuits on the calendar for overtaking. The Marina Bay Street Circuit is 4.927 kilometres long and features 19 corners, with walls close to the track and little room for drivers to make passes. Last year’s race was also won from pole position by Russell.
The power unit failure also damaged Russell’s championship hopes. He entered Malaysia 66 points behind his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli, but his retirement combined with Antonelli’s second-place finish increased the gap to 84 points with seven rounds remaining.
Mercedes had originally planned to introduce its next power unit later in the season, using its opportunity under the FIA’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities system. The plan was to take Russell’s engine penalty at a later race, with Austin among the expected options because the Circuit of the Americas offers more opportunities to overtake.
However, the failure in Malaysia has forced Mercedes to change that plan. The team had been considering bringing the upgraded power unit forward to Singapore, which could mean Russell avoids another penalty later in the season. Mercedes is still evaluating the exact plan for the remaining races.
Mercedes has suffered several power unit problems during the 2026 season. Russell previously retired from the Canadian Grand Prix because of a power unit failure, while Antonelli also suffered a failure in Barcelona and later took a back-of-the-grid penalty at Monza. Antonelli recovered from 19th to win that race.
Russell will therefore have to repeat a similar recovery drive in Singapore if he wants to limit the damage. Unlike Monza, however, Marina Bay’s narrow and technical layout makes overtaking much more difficult. The Singapore weekend will also be the final Sprint event of the 2026 season, giving Russell an additional opportunity to score points before Sunday’s Grand Prix.
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