Sports · Motorsport · 29 mins ago
George Russell to take five-place grid penalty at Brazilian Grand Prix
Mercedes driver George Russell will take a five-place grid penalty at this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix in São Paulo.
The penalty follows the team fitting a new internal combustion engine to his car.
Russell had already taken a major grid drop in Singapore after a power unit failure forced him to change parts.
The Brazil penalty is his second grid drop in four races, but it is much smaller than the one he took in Singapore.
Interlagos is seen as a suitable place to accept the penalty because overtaking is favourable there.
Mercedes says the engine change is not an upgrade, and it is not rushing to introduce a planned engine development.
Russell’s drivers’ title challenge has ended, and the team is leading the constructors’ standings.
He will try to recover places in Sunday’s race, with rain also possible over the weekend.
George Russell will take a five-place grid penalty at the Brazilian Grand Prix after Mercedes fitted his car with a sixth internal combustion engine this season.
The penalty means he can start Sunday's race no higher than sixth.
Russell said Mercedes chose Interlagos because the team expected him to need another engine before the end of the season.
He has already exceeded his original allowance of four engines, taking a fifth at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Russell said he felt exhausted by repeatedly having to recover from difficult weekends this season.
- Who
- George Russell, the Mercedes driver.
- What
- He will take a five-place grid penalty for using a sixth internal combustion engine this season.
- When
- At the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend; the race is scheduled for Sunday, November 8.
- Where
- Interlagos, Brazil.
- Why
- He needed another engine after earlier power-unit issues and had already exceeded his original seasonal allowance.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Russell took a fifth engine of the season at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Russell said the repeated need to recover from disappointing weekends had left him feeling exhausted.
Reports confirmed he would take a five-place grid penalty at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The Brazilian Grand Prix is scheduled to take place at Interlagos.
- Penalty
- Five grid places
- Engine
- Sixth internal combustion engine of the season
- Original allowance
- Four engines
- Previous engine change
- Fifth engine taken at the Singapore Grand Prix
- Circuit
- Interlagos, Brazil
- Maximum starting position
- Sixth on the grid
4 sources
What people are saying
We always had to take a grid penalty at some point between Singapore and the end of the year and we felt like a good place to take it
Five places doesn't seem that bad and we'll try and come back through.
I probably just feel a bit exhausted this season of constantly picking myself back up.