Update
George Russell: Mercedes driver to start Singapore GP from back of grid due to penalty caused by Bahrain GP engine failure
George Russell suffered an engine failure at the Bahrain GP; Mercedes to evaluate upgrades as they aim to work out what direction to take; watch F1's first ever Singapore Grand Prix Sprint weekend live on Sky Sports F1, with Sprint Qualifying at 1pm on Friday
Wednesday 7 October 2026 12:03, UK
George Russell will start from the back of the grid at Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix due to a power unit change in a further blow to his championship hopes.
Russell suffered a power unit failure late in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia when running third, forcing him to retire while his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli finished second to extend his lead over the Brit at the top of the Drivers' Championship to 84 points with seven rounds remaining.
Russell will take on a new power unit in Singapore, which will see him exceed the season allocation of four for each driver, therefore incurring a penalty that will drop him to the rear of the grid.
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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said, confirming the news: "That is particularly frustrating given the way [Russell] drove last weekend and the result he deserved to be fighting for.
"Unfortunately, these things are part of the sport and our focus now is on giving him the best possible car and opportunities to fight back through the field.
Mercedes to 'evaluate latest update package'
Wolf added: "We need to maximise this final Sprint weekend of the year, keep learning, and score the strongest result we can with both cars. Singapore will be an important test of our understanding and our resilience as a team.
"Malaysia was obviously a very difficult weekend for us. We have spent the days since then working hard to understand why our performance was not where it should have been.
"We have identified several areas we need to investigate further, but F1 doesn't offer simple answers and we need more evidence before drawing firm conclusions.
"Singapore gives us an immediate opportunity to continue that work. The characteristics of the circuit are very different and that will help us build a clearer picture of where we are.
"That is why we will evaluate both the latest update package and our previous specification across the weekend to ensure we fully understand the direction we need to take."
Power-unit issues nothing new for Mercedes
Russell was expected to have a new power unit at the United States Grand Prix later this month that was going to include an upgrade, with Mercedes taking up the opportunity they were granted by the FIA's ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) system to improve their engine.
The ranking of Mercedes' engine performance below Red Bull's by the sport's governing body has caused some dispute, with the Milton Keynes squad arguing that the Silver Arrows, who are dominating the Constructors' Championship, already have the best power unit.
It is now understood that Mercedes' upgraded power unit could be fast-tracked to be ready for Russell at the Singapore Grand Prix, which would at least prevent him having to incur further penalties later in the season for taking more new parts.
Both Mercedes drivers have suffered power unit problems throughout this season, with Antonelli having to start at the back of the grid at the Italian Grand Prix, where he stormed through the field from 19th to win.
Monza is one of the easiest tracks on the F1 calendar to overtake at whereas the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore is one of the toughest.
Singapore is a Sprint weekend so Russell's back-of-the-grid start will only apply to the Grand Prix on Sunday and not Saturday's Sprint.
'That is absolutely the final straw for this title bid'
Speaking on Sky Sports News, Craig Slater said: "This is not the place where you want to take a grid penalty because it is difficult to overtake in Singapore.
"The reality is Russell is going to find it very difficult to get anywhere near double-digit points in the race itself. It will be hard for him to get into the top five.
"Eighty-four points back, that is absolutely the final straw for this title bid.
"Key for Russell is finishing with a run of victories if he can somehow regain the upper hand because that would send the signal for 2027 that he remains a viable contender and someone who can defeat young Kimi Antonelli.
"Russell needs to end this year on a strong note to give himself belief he can maybe win the Championship next year."
Why did Mercedes suffer 'worst weekend of the season'
Mercedes brought a major aerodynamic upgrade to Malaysia, their biggest since May's Canadian Grand Prix, but were comfortably beaten by Red Bull's Max Verstappen who converted pole position into victory.
Wolff described it as Mercedes' "worst weekend of the season", mainly due to Russell's retirement which he stated was "not acceptable".
But, in terms of outright pace, Mercedes were surprisingly outperformed by Red Bull and deputy team principal Bradley Lord puts it down to multiple factors.
"The combination potentially of updates, track temperature and track surface caused an interaction and a set of behaviours that meant the car was not in its usual happy state, that the drivers were having to turn the car on the throttle in the slow corners," he explained.
"That was further exacerbating the challenges with tyre temperatures.
"That's not an easy thing to unpick. It's a bit of a 3D problem that we need to work through and then figure out exactly what steps we take going forward to make sure that we've got the base understanding that we need to understand that the update is working well and that we're heading in the right direction in our development, not just for this year's car but for next year as well.
"That's work that's going on at the moment back at the factory and also in Singapore in order to establish exactly what the plan is for the coming days and the race weekend in Singapore."
Sky Sports F1's live Singapore GP Sprint weekend schedule
Thursday October 8
11am: Drivers' Press Conference
2pm: Paddock Uncut
Friday October 9
9am: Singapore GP Practice (session starts at 9.30am)*
11.30am: Team Bosses' Press Conference
1pm: Singapore GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 1.30pm)*
Saturday October 10
9am: Singapore GP Sprint build-up*
10am: Singapore GP SPRINT*
1pm: Singapore Grand Prix Qualifying build-up
2pm: SINGAPORE GP QUALIFYING*
4pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook
Sunday October 11
11.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Singapore GP build-up
1pm: THE SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX
3pm: Chequered Flag: Singapore GP reaction
4pm: Ted's Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 heads straight to Singapore for the last Sprint weekend of the season with track action starting this Friday, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime
