George Russell faces a 5-place grid drop at the São Paulo Grand Prix after an engine change, Formula One reported on 6 November 2026. The sanction will be applied to his race starting place after qualifying.
FIA order confirms the engine sanction
The FIA stewards recorded a sixth internal combustion engine in Russell's Mercedes during opening practice. Their decision identifies the extra unit as the infringement and sets the sanction for the next race he enters.
SportsRivo checked the FIA stewards' decision dated 6 November 2026: “Drop of 5 grid positions for the next Race in which the driver participates.”
FIA stewards' decision: the highlighted row confirms the race-grid penalty.
Formula One said Russell will lose places from wherever he qualifies in Brazil. The document gives no fixed starting position before qualifying sets his initial place.
Mercedes driver George Russell said: “Five places doesn’t seem that bad, and we’ll try and come back through.”
Why Mercedes chose Interlagos
Russell said another engine penalty had been expected before the season ended. Mercedes chose Interlagos, and Russell pointed to Lewis Hamilton's recovery after an earlier penalty at the circuit.
Formula One reported that Russell had already served a larger power-unit penalty in Singapore after an engine failure at Bahrain. Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord later described the fresh engine as a balance between performance and reliability. Lord said managing an older unit to the end of the season might require turning it down.
What changes for Russell
- The FIA stewards' order applies the grid drop to the next race Russell enters, while his qualifying result determines the position from which the deduction is made.
- Mercedes has a fresh combustion engine for the São Paulo race. Lord told Formula One this route offers the team its best chance of scoring points across the remaining races.
Qualifying at Interlagos will establish Russell's provisional place before the penalty shapes his start in Sunday's Grand Prix.
Source: Formula One