SINGAPORE – George Russell will start the Singapore Grand Prix from the pit lane after Mercedes fitted a new powertrain to his car and was fined.
Russell qualified 11th for Sunday’s race after grappling with a suspected engine problem affecting his car’s brakes.
Mercedes took this opportunity to replace the power unit in its vehicle but failed to notify the FIA’s technical representative, which resulted in a pit lane starting penalty rather than the usual after-grid penalty. .
Russell told Sky Sports F1 after qualifying: “I struggled with some brake and engine related issues from the first practice where it pushed me into corners. “And it felt like I was on the throttle when I went in.
“I don’t have gas and it’s not but that’s [the] feeling, sort of pushing me everywhere. So when the car brakes, I just turn the corner and it’s like something pushed me from behind and [I] just can’t go around there.
“The grip is so good, I just can’t get around any corners. I just go there and keep going down.”
Singapore is one of the most difficult races to pass on the calendar, although the Mercedes showed impressive speed under Russell’s teammate Lewis Hamilton, who edged Charles Leclerc by 0.056 seconds on the pole.
