George Russell will start the Singapore Grand Prix from the back of the grid after a technical failure forced him out late in the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was staged at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit. The Briton has exceeded his season’s allocation of power unit components, which under the regulations triggers an automatic grid penalty of at least 10 places. Russell admitted that, of the seven rounds left this season, Singapore is one of the worst places to take a penalty, but said the circumstances left the team with simply no other option. Despite the setback, he remained in fighting mood, promising an “all-out attack”.
Amid the technical uncertainty, Mercedes are splitting their approach in Singapore. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli will continue with the new, upgraded package on the W17, while Russell reverts to the older configuration with which he took pole and victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Russell trails his team-mate by 84 points. His penalty does not apply to Saturday’s sprint, where up to eight points are on offer, and will take effect only for Sunday’s main race.
