FIA confirms 40-place George Russell grid penalty at Singapore Grand Prix

SINGAPORE – The FIA has officially confirmed that Mercedes driver George Russell will serve a grid penalty at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.

It comes after PlanetF1.com reported on Tuesday that Russell would be starting at the back of the grid at Marina Bay.

FIA makes George Russell’s grid penalty official at Singapore Grand Prix

Russell suffered his second mechanical retirement of the F1 2026 season at last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia in a major blow to his title hopes.

The British driver’s retirement saw him fall 84 points behind Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli in the drivers’ championship with a maximum of seven races remaining.

Following his previous mechanical DNF in Canada in late May, Russell and Mercedes had been hoping to delay his engine penalty until the team introduced an engine upgrade under the FIA’s ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) scheme.

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However, Mercedes admitted in Sepang last week that Russell’s latest retirement would force the team to reassess its plan.

Mercedes confirmed to PlanetF1.com on Tuesday that Russell would take a new engine in Singapore this weekend.

And the FIA has now made his grid penalty official, with Russell’s sanction amounting to a total of 40 places.

F1’s governing body has confirmed that Russell has moved on to a fifth internal combustion engine, a fifth turbocharger, a fifth exhaust set and a fourth MGU-K of the F1 2026 season.

The combined component changes add up to a grid penalty of 40 positions.

In a change to the rules over recent years, however, drivers who accumulate a grid drop of more than 15 places must automatically start at the back of the grid.

The stewards’ report read: “The penalty is imposed in accordance with Article B8.2.8 of the FIA F1 Regulations.

“The use of each additional element in this case carries a 10 grid place penalty therefore there is an accumulation of 40 places.

“Subject to Car 63 being classified in the results of Qualifying, Car 63 will be allocated a grid position in the Race in accordance with Article B2.5.4b.iv of the FIA F1 Regulations.”

Russell told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets on Thursday that he will serve another engine penalty when Mercedes’ upgrade arrives.

He said: “With seven races remaining, that’s longer than the engines are designed for.

“Unfortunately, it means I’ll be taking another penalty at some point between the next race and the end of the season.

“Feels a little bit one thing after another right now, but that’s just how the cookie crumbles.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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