George Russell is set to start the Singapore Grand Prix from the back of the grid after Mercedes confirmed the British driver will take a new power unit.
Russell’s pain is set to continue in Singapore after dropping significant ground to Kimi Antonelli in Malaysia.
It was always expected that Russell would take a back-of-the-grid penalty before the end of the F1 2026 season for adding a new power unit to his pool, but the timing of this has been pulled forward following his late-race retirement in Malaysia.
Lapping in third place, one position behind teammate Antonelli, Russell had been on course to concede three points to the Italian, but this margin ballooned to 18 points following his power unit failure, extending the overall gap to 84.
Being a street track, Singapore is naturally a more difficult track on which to overtake compared to more traditional layouts still to come, like the Circuit of the Americas or Interlagos.
It was expected that Russell would take his pain at the former, potentially alongside the introduction of Mercedes’ ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) upgrade.
However, while he could take an additional hit at that round, the Singapore weekend has become a more complicated affair, with a Mercedes spokesperson confirming that the Briton will take his fifth power unit of the campaign.
Explaining his original plan to PlanetF1 and other media outlets prior to the final decision, Russell said: “We’re waiting to take my penalty with the ADUO upgrade; otherwise, if I took it there (without it), I’d have to take it again, so it made zero sense for me.”
Speaking of his fading championship hopes, Russell added: “I knew that if I wanted to come back in the championship, I needed luck at my side. It wouldn’t just be good performances.
“And here we are. Not only do we not have luck at my side, but I’ve got bad luck on my side.
“So I’ll just keep fighting weekend by weekend.”
