Singapore GP 2026: Russell takes a power unit penalty as Mercedes tests its upgrade

The Singapore Grand Prix runs on Sunday 11 October at 20:00 local time. It is the first time Marina Bay has hosted a Sprint, according to McLaren's weekend briefing, which means one practice session before Saturday's Sprint Qualifying.

Russell starts from the back

George Russell's title hopes took another hit this week. Formula 1 reported that Mercedes has confirmed Russell will take a grid penalty after his Mercedes was fitted with a new power unit following his engine failure in Malaysia. The regulations give a grid penalty at the first event where extra power unit parts are used beyond the season allocation, and the penalty is a minimum of 10 places.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said: "George has the added challenge of a power unit penalty, which will mean starting from the back of the grid on Sunday, following the engine failure in Malaysia." The AP report quotes him. Formula 1 adds that the penalty applies only to the race, not Saturday's Sprint, so Russell can still try to score points there.

Mercedes runs a split-car test

Mercedes will run a back-to-back comparison of its old and new aerodynamic packages at Marina Bay. Crash.net reported that the upgrade debuted in Malaysia had not produced the step the team expected, and that Wolff found the qualifying performance "very difficult to understand".

The aim is to find out whether the upgrade worked. The Singapore test gives Mercedes a direct comparison between the two specifications on the same track.

Championship position

After Sepang, Andrea Kimi Antonelli led on 320 points, with Russell on 236. That is an 84-point gap. Starting from the back makes it harder for Russell to close that gap in one race.

Wet weather fix returns

The FIA has also confirmed that the wet-weather software configuration used in Malaysia will be reinstated for Singapore if similar conditions are expected. The FIA's review found that some cars lost power on low engine speed in sectors with a 250kW limit. A further update is due for the United States Grand Prix on 25 October.