Wolff calls Russell’s Singapore grid penalty ‘particularly frustrating’

In Mercedes’ Singapore preview, team principal Toto Wolff called George Russell’s power-unit penalty for Sunday’s Grand Prix “particularly frustrating”, pointing to Russell’s drive in Malaysia and the result Wolff said Russell deserved to be fighting for. Wolff said the penalty would put Russell at the back of the grid.

At the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia last Sunday, an engine failure forced Russell to retire from third place with five laps remaining.

Damage from Malaysia forced Mercedes to bring a power-unit change forward, putting Russell over the season allocation of power-unit components. The penalty applies to Sunday’s Grand Prix, not Saturday’s Sprint.

Wolff said Mercedes would give Russell the best possible car and opportunities to fight back through the field, while continuing to learn and aiming for the strongest result with both cars.