Russell to start Singapore GP from back after Sepang retirement

George Russell will take a new power unit and start Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix from the back of the grid, a Mercedes spokesperson told RacingNews365. The penalty applies to the Grand Prix, not the Sprint; for the Sprint, he is due to start from his qualifying position, subject to other penalties during the weekend.

At Sepang on 4 October, Russell was running third behind the Safety Car with five laps remaining in the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia when he pulled over at the Turn 1 entry. He retired after completing 49 of the race’s 55 laps.

After the race, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said Russell had suffered a power-unit failure, that it was not caused by the Safety Car and that the team had not yet assessed it. In a later Mercedes debrief, deputy team principal Bradley Lord said an initial inspection found a mechanical problem on the power-unit side, while the precise cause still had to be established.

On 5 October, Motorsport.com reported that Russell had already used his four-unit allowance for 2026 and that another power unit was expected to cost him 10 places, with Austin the likely timing. The Sepang retirement could bring the change forward to Singapore, where a Mercedes spokesperson later confirmed a back-of-grid penalty.

RacingNews365 reported that Mercedes is trying to bring its next power-unit upgrade, known as ADUO2, forward from the United States Grand Prix to Singapore, hoping to avoid back-of-the-grid starts at both races. Whether the upgraded unit can be fitted in Singapore remains unconfirmed; if the ADUO version arrives later in the season, a second penalty could follow.