{"id":3797,"date":"2026-10-11T07:00:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T10:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=3797"},"modified":"2026-10-11T07:13:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T10:13:49","slug":"russell-hit-with-60-place-singapore-gp-grid-penalty-after-further-mercedes-power-unit-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/russell-hit-with-60-place-singapore-gp-grid-penalty-after-further-mercedes-power-unit-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"Russell hit with 60-place Singapore GP grid penalty after further Mercedes power-unit changes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">News Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>George Russell has accumulated a 60-place grid penalty<\/strong> for the Singapore Grand Prix following further power-unit component changes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mercedes replaced the <strong>energy store and power-unit control electronics<\/strong>, adding 20 places to the 40-place penalty already imposed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Russell remains set to start 22nd and last<\/strong>, despite qualifying sixth, as Mercedes prepares for a recovery race at Marina Bay.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">George Russell&#8217;s grid penalty for the <strong>2026 Singapore Grand Prix has increased to 60 positions<\/strong> after Mercedes made further changes to his power unit ahead of Sunday&#8217;s race at Marina Bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The British driver had already received a <strong>40-place penalty<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russell qualified sixth on Saturday with a <strong>1:31.747<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mercedes changes six power-unit components beyond permitted allocation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russell&#8217;s penalty began with four component changes confirmed by the FIA on Friday, October 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mercedes introduced a fifth internal combustion engine, fifth turbocharger, fifth exhaust set and fourth MGU-K, with each component carrying a ten-place penalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The subsequent replacement of the energy store and control electronics added another 20 places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/th\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-singapura-sprint-marina-bay-merccedes-george-russell-4-1024x576.png\" alt=\"F1 2026, SINGAPURA, MARINA BAY, SPRINT, MERCEDES, GEORGE RUSSELL, ROSTO, RETRATO\" class=\"wp-image-1020317784\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-singapura-sprint-marina-bay-merccedes-george-russell-4-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-singapura-sprint-marina-bay-merccedes-george-russell-4-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-singapura-sprint-marina-bay-merccedes-george-russell-4-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-singapura-sprint-marina-bay-merccedes-george-russell-4-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-singapura-sprint-marina-bay-merccedes-george-russell-4-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-singapura-sprint-marina-bay-merccedes-george-russell-4-150x84.png 150w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-singapura-sprint-marina-bay-merccedes-george-russell-4.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">George Russell (Photo: Mercedes)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Russell&#8217;s Singapore GP power-unit penalties<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th>Component<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">Grid penalty<\/th><\/tr><tr><td>Internal combustion engine (ICE)<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">+10 places<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Turbocharger (TC)<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">+10 places<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Exhaust set (EXH)<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">+10 places<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>MGU-K<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">+10 places<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Energy store (ES)<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">+10 places<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Control electronics (PU-CE)<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\">+10 places<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Total<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-right\" data-align=\"right\"><strong>60 places<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under Formula 1&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The additional components were introduced during a weekend in which Mercedes had already been dealing with the consequences of Russell&#8217;s power-unit failure at Sepang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Russell qualifies sixth despite difficult Singapore weekend<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russell&#8217;s 60-place penalty comes after a challenging sequence of events at Marina Bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Mercedes driver topped Friday&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russell then overtook Verstappen for the lead at the start of Saturday&#8217;s rain-affected sprint, only to lose control at the final corner and crash into the barriers on lap two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The accident forced Mercedes to rebuild his car before Grand Prix qualifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russell subsequently reported that the repaired W17 did not feel the same as it had on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSomething was a bit odd because we had great pace yesterday and Kimi&#8217;s in a similar position to where he was yesterday but I&#8217;ve taken a step backwards and the car didn&#8217;t feel quite the same,\u201d Russell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/russell-says-mercedes-felt-different-after-singapore-sprint-crash-something-was-a-bit-odd\/\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO reported Russell&#8217;s concerns about the rebuilt Mercedes<\/a><\/strong>, which followed his early retirement from the sprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the difficulties, Russell recorded the sixth-fastest time in qualifying, ahead of both McLaren&#8217;s Oscar Piastri and Alpine&#8217;s Pierre Gasly on the timing sheets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Russell remains last as Antonelli starts fourth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The penalty increase does not alter Russell&#8217;s expected position at the rear of Sunday&#8217;s grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Briton is set to start <strong>22nd<\/strong>, immediately behind Fernando Alonso, who has also received a power-unit penalty following Aston Martin&#8217;s decision to change his engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/alonso-and-russell-penalties-shake-up-singapore-gp-grid-as-both-drop-to-back-row\/\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO has published the revised Singapore GP starting grid<\/a><\/strong>, with Max Verstappen on pole ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Antonelli, meanwhile, starts fourth and enters the race with <strong>325 championship points, 89 ahead of Russell<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged after qualifying that Russell&#8217;s rebuilt car had not performed as expected, while Antonelli had made progress with the team&#8217;s updated aerodynamic package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/wolff-says-mercedes-f1-upgrade-finally-works-but-admits-russells-rebuilt-car-had-issues\/\">Wolff explained the contrasting performance of the two Mercedes cars<\/a><\/strong> after Saturday&#8217;s qualifying session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Singapore Grand Prix takes place on <strong>Sunday, October 11, at 20:00 local time<\/strong>, equivalent to 13:00 BST in the United Kingdom and 08:00 ET in the United States and Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/what-time-is-the-singapore-f1-race-tomorrow-and-where-can-you-watch-it\/\">complete Singapore GP race schedule and broadcast information<\/a><\/strong> is available in <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong>, which follows the latest <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/\">Formula 1<\/a><\/strong> news throughout the weekend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>George Russell receives another 20-place grid penalty after Mercedes replaces his energy store and control electronics, bringing his total sanction to 60 positions ahead of Sunday&#8217;s Singapore Grand Prix<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020317782,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"George Russell","42wp_featured_image_credits":"AFP","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[17,16,376],"42wp_author":[31],"class_list":["post-3797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","tag-george-russell","tag-mercedes","tag-power-unit","42wp_author-bernardo-castro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3797"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3799,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3797\/revisions\/3799"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020317782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3797"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}