Mercedes’ George Russell will receive a five-place grid penalty at the 2026 F1 São Paulo GP after taking a new internal combustion engine (ICE). The penalty marks the Briton’s second engine-related grid drop in four rounds, adding another setback to an already challenging season.
Russell previously received a substantial penalty at the Singapore GP following a power unit failure during the Bahrain GP in Malaysia. Although Mercedes replaced several components at Marina Bay, the team anticipated another engine change before the end of the season.
The 28-year-old will now serve that penalty at Interlagos, with Mercedes believing the circuit offers a reasonable opportunity to recover positions during Sunday’s race.
Russell explains decision to take grid penalty at São Paulo GP
Mercedes had already identified the need for another engine change following Russell’s retirement in Malaysia. The team subsequently evaluated where to introduce the additional component, eventually selecting the São Paulo GP.
As Russell previously explained ahead of the Singapore GP, Mercedes’ power unit allocation would not comfortably cover the remaining races after the earlier failure.
Speaking in an Instagram Stories video shared by Mercedes ahead of the Brazilian weekend, Russell confirmed that another penalty had always formed part of the team’s plans.
“I mean, we always had to take a grid penalty at some point between Singapore… obviously we took one in Singapore, but from Singapore until the end of the season,” Russell explained.
Mercedes has now selected Interlagos for the change, with the fresh ICE triggering a five-place grid drop from Russell’s qualifying position.
Russell takes encouragement from Hamilton’s 2021 São Paulo recovery
Despite the setback, Russell remains optimistic about recovering positions during Sunday’s Grand Prix. The Briton believes Interlagos presents an opportunity to overtake, pointing towards Lewis Hamilton’s memorable comeback at the circuit in 2021.
Hamilton started that year’s Sprint from the back following a qualifying disqualification before recovering to fifth. He subsequently overcame another grid penalty to start Sunday’s Grand Prix tenth, eventually charging through the field to secure victory for Mercedes.
Russell hopes to deliver a similar recovery, although his penalty will be considerably smaller.
“We felt like this was a good place to take it. Lewis [Hamilton] had a big grid penalty here a number of years ago and did pretty well. Five places doesn’t seem that bad, and we’ll try and come back through.”
The decision means Russell will lose five positions regardless of where he qualifies for Sunday’s race, increasing the importance of a strong qualifying performance.
Another setback in difficult 2026 campaign
The penalty follows another frustrating weekend for Russell at the Mexico City GP. After qualifying second, the Briton encountered a power unit problem on the opening lap before receiving a ten-second penalty for contact with Isack Hadjar. He eventually finished sixth.
Russell has faced repeated reliability problems throughout 2026, with the setbacks contributing to his fourth-place position in the Drivers’ Championship following Mexico.
With teammate Kimi Antonelli already crowned World Champion, Russell will now focus on securing the strongest possible result at Interlagos despite the grid drop.
Mercedes will aim to minimise the penalty’s impact as Russell attempts to recover positions during Sunday’s São Paulo GP and regain momentum in the closing rounds of the season.
