SINGAPORE — George Russell is set to receive a grid penalty for this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay as a consequence of his retirement in Sepang last weekend. The Mercedes driver will require a new engine for the Marina Bay street circuit, an enforced change that will drop him down the grid for Sunday’s race.
Russell had been running third under the safety car with five laps remaining at Sepang when his afternoon unravelled at the Turn 1 entry. A sudden failure in his power unit forced him to stop on the spot, ending a podium challenge in the closing stages and leaving Mercedes to manage the fallout ahead of Singapore.
The replacement power unit takes Russell beyond his permitted allocation, triggering the automatic penalty under the regulations. It leaves Mercedes facing a recovery drive on one of the calendar’s most demanding street circuits, where overtaking is at a premium, after a late setback in a Sepang race that ended with Verstappen's 72nd win at Sepang under safety car conditions.