Singapore GP: George Russell set for pitlane start

George Russell will start the Singapore Grand Prix from the pitlane this afternoon after Mercedes opted to fit him with a totally new power unit.

Formula 1 is back in Singapore for the first time since 2019 but the excitement around the return for Russell might have been dampened a little bit by the weekend he has had so far.

In qualifying he found himself out in Q2 after missing the top 10 by 0.006s, finishing 11th and, on the back of that, his team has decided to kit him out with a brand new power unit, with him now right at the back of the field and starting from the pitlane in a bid to avoid any first corner drama, which might well play out given the heavy rain currently falling ahead of lights out in Singapore.

The FIA confirmed Russell’s demotion on their Twitter account earlier today, rubber stamping the final starting grid in the process:

#F1 – Final Starting Grid for the #SingaporeGP