George Russell is expected to start the Singapore Grand Prix from the back of the grid after Mercedes confirmed that he needs a replacement power unit. The change follows his engine failure at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on 4 October.
In its Singapore preview, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said the penalty would leave Russell facing a recovery drive on Sunday. Formula 1’s report, published on 7 October, says the replacement will take him beyond the season’s permitted allocation of power-unit components.
Sunday penalty, Sprint opportunity
The Grand Prix takes place on 11 October. Formula 1 reports that the component penalty will apply to that race rather than Saturday’s Sprint, leaving the British driver able to contest the shorter race without that grid drop.
The size of the penalty depends on which additional components are fitted. Mercedes expects a start at the back, but Russell’s final starting position will follow qualifying and the application of the relevant penalties.
Mercedes compares its update packages
The team is also using the Marina Bay weekend to investigate its loss of performance at Sepang. Wolff said Mercedes had identified several areas that needed further work and would compare its latest update package with the previous specification during the Singapore event.
He said the different circuit characteristics would help the team assess its development direction, while stressing that it needed more evidence before reaching firm conclusions. That leaves Mercedes with two tasks this weekend: understanding the car’s performance and giving Russell the best chance to recover places in Sunday’s race.