George Russell is starting from the back of the grid at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix. Why? Well, because his engine decided that five laps from a podium at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia last weekend was a pretty good time to give up on life.
Russell was running third when his Mercedes power unit failed late in the race, turning what looked like a comfortable podium finish into an expensive retirement. Now, unfortunately for George, that engine is about as useful as a chocolate teapot, forcing Mercedes to fit a new power unit. That puts him over his permitted allocation for the season and automatically triggers a back-of-the-grid penalty.
The Mercedes driver will line up at the wrong end of the grid this weekend, turning what should have been a pretty standard race into a pretty complicated demonstration on how to get past a lot of cars. Which, unfortunately for George, means there will be considerably less time spent admiring himself near the front.
Starting from the back is never ideal, although it does provide Russell with one fairly straightforward objective: Go forwards. Fast. Groundbreaking stuff.
The problem is that Formula 1 cars don’t come with an automatic “skip the midfield” button, meaning George will actually have to work his way through the field. While Mercedes will presumably be hoping for a recovery drive, similar to Kimi’s phenomenal win in Monza after starting in P19, the rest of the grid has been handed a lovely opportunity to make George’s afternoon way more annoying.
There’ll be traffic, strategy, and probably several radio messages of George’s complaining. Starting last doesn’t necessarily mean George is doomed. If Mercedes has the pace, he should be capable of making his way through the field and salvaging a decent result. But Singapore isn’t exactly famed for being the easiest place to casually breeze past 19 other cars.
The Marina Bay circuit is tight, twisty, and not convenient for overtaking. Formula 1 never fails to surprise us, and it adds an interesting twist to this weekend’s race schedule.
For live, up-to-the-second coverage of this weekend’s F1 sessions, check out The Grid.