News Summary
- George Russell has accumulated a 60-place grid penalty for the Singapore Grand Prix following further power-unit component changes.
- Mercedes replaced the energy store and power-unit control electronics, adding 20 places to the 40-place penalty already imposed.
- Russell remains set to start 22nd and last, despite qualifying sixth, as Mercedes prepares for a recovery race at Marina Bay.
George Russell’s grid penalty for the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix has increased to 60 positions after Mercedes made further changes to his power unit ahead of Sunday’s race at Marina Bay.
The British driver had already received a 40-place penalty for exceeding his permitted allocation of internal combustion engines, turbochargers, exhaust sets and MGU-K units. Mercedes subsequently introduced an additional energy store and power-unit control electronics unit, bringing the cumulative penalty to 60 places.
Russell qualified sixth on Saturday with a 1:31.747, just 0.374s behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen, but the penalties mean he will start from the back of the grid. The additional 20 places do not change his expected starting position of 22nd.
Mercedes changes six power-unit components beyond permitted allocation
Russell’s penalty began with four component changes confirmed by the FIA on Friday, October 9.
Mercedes introduced a fifth internal combustion engine, fifth turbocharger, fifth exhaust set and fourth MGU-K, with each component carrying a ten-place penalty.
The subsequent replacement of the energy store and control electronics added another 20 places.
Russell’s Singapore GP power-unit penalties
| Component | Grid penalty |
|---|---|
| Internal combustion engine (ICE) | +10 places |
| Turbocharger (TC) | +10 places |
| Exhaust set (EXH) | +10 places |
| MGU-K | +10 places |
| Energy store (ES) | +10 places |
| Control electronics (PU-CE) | +10 places |
| Total | 60 places |
Under Formula 1’s sporting regulations, a cumulative penalty of this size places Russell at the back of the grid rather than requiring him to serve the full numerical drop.
The additional components were introduced during a weekend in which Mercedes had already been dealing with the consequences of Russell’s power-unit failure at Sepang.
Russell qualifies sixth despite difficult Singapore weekend
Russell’s 60-place penalty comes after a challenging sequence of events at Marina Bay.
The Mercedes driver topped Friday’s only free practice session and qualified second for the sprint, using an older aerodynamic specification while teammate Kimi Antonelli continued with the updated W17.
Russell then overtook Verstappen for the lead at the start of Saturday’s rain-affected sprint, only to lose control at the final corner and crash into the barriers on lap two.
The accident forced Mercedes to rebuild his car before Grand Prix qualifying.
Russell subsequently reported that the repaired W17 did not feel the same as it had on Friday.
“Something was a bit odd because we had great pace yesterday and Kimi’s in a similar position to where he was yesterday but I’ve taken a step backwards and the car didn’t feel quite the same,” Russell said.
GRANDE PRÊMIO reported Russell’s concerns about the rebuilt Mercedes, which followed his early retirement from the sprint.
Despite the difficulties, Russell recorded the sixth-fastest time in qualifying, ahead of both McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly on the timing sheets.
Russell remains last as Antonelli starts fourth
The penalty increase does not alter Russell’s expected position at the rear of Sunday’s grid.
The Briton is set to start 22nd, immediately behind Fernando Alonso, who has also received a power-unit penalty following Aston Martin’s decision to change his engine.
GRANDE PRÊMIO has published the revised Singapore GP starting grid, with Max Verstappen on pole ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Antonelli, meanwhile, starts fourth and enters the race with 325 championship points, 89 ahead of Russell.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged after qualifying that Russell’s rebuilt car had not performed as expected, while Antonelli had made progress with the team’s updated aerodynamic package.
Wolff explained the contrasting performance of the two Mercedes cars after Saturday’s qualifying session.
The Singapore Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, October 11, at 20:00 local time, equivalent to 13:00 BST in the United Kingdom and 08:00 ET in the United States and Canada.
The complete Singapore GP race schedule and broadcast information is available in GRANDE PRÊMIO, which follows the latest Formula 1 news throughout the weekend.
