George Russell will start Singapore Grand Prix from the back of the grid
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George Russell will start the Singapore Grand Prix from the BACK of the grid after his Mercedes needed a new engine after the British driver complained about cornering problems in qualifying
- George Russell starts Sunday Grand Prix of Singapore from the pitlane
- He has been relegated to the back of the net after taking a new power unit
- Mercedes driver had already exceeded his season limit for most components
- 24-year-old had complained about steering and braking problems during qualifying
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George Russell will start from the back of the grid at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday after his Mercedes needed a new engine.
The British driver had qualified in 11th position on Saturday after being eliminated in Q2, but will now start behind everyone else from the pit lane.
Mercedes has modified all components of its car’s W13 E Performance powerplant, taking it beyond the maximum parts allocation allowed for the season.
Russell, 24, had already exceeded the limit with all parts except his exhaust.
George Russell’s Mercedes needed a new powerplant and sent it to the back of the grid for Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix
It comes after Russell encountered technical difficulties during the qualifying session at the Marine Bay Street Circuit.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said the car’s engine was still delivering power to its wheels even when it came off the accelerator completely.
Russell said: ‘The grip felt good, I just couldn’t corner. I kept understeer away, which is such a shame.
“We’ve seen some clues in the data and I hope we can work it out.
“Of course it’s disappointing for myself and the whole team because the car looked strong here.
‘Lewis’ [Hamilton] was really fast, but unfortunately I couldn’t make it work.’
Hamilton qualified in third behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on pole and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in second.
Championship leader Max Verstappen could only finish eighth as he ran out of fuel after leaving a hot lap due to a mistake.