Mercedes driver George Russell will start from the back of the grid at Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix following a power unit change necessitated by his retirement in the previous race in Malaysia. The move results in an engine penalty, which teams typically aim to avoid at the Singapore circuit due to the limited overtaking opportunities it presents.

Mercedes had initially planned for Russell to use his current allocation of power units until the United States Grand Prix, scheduled two weeks later, when an upgraded power unit is expected to be ready for deployment. However, the team has not yet confirmed whether this upgrade can be introduced earlier to Singapore.

Russell’s shift to the rear of the starting order highlights the challenges teams face balancing reliability and performance across the demanding Formula One calendar, especially on tracks where strategic decisions about power unit use can significantly affect race outcomes.