George Russell makes 'total no-brainer' claim after sparking crucial Mercedes talks

George Russell has described it as a "total no-brainer" for Mercedes to revert him to an older specification for this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, while insisting the team has seen nothing to suggest its Malaysia upgrade failed to work.

The upgrade, introduced at Sepang, had been designed to boost downforce through the medium- and high-speed corners. But Russell retired from third place at the Bahrain Grand Prix with a power unit issue, five laps from the finish, and has now been hit with a grid penalty for taking an additional power unit element beyond his seasonal allocation.

That penalty has handed Mercedes the opportunity to run a direct comparison in Singapore, with Russell switching back to the aerodynamic package he used to win in Azerbaijan, while Kimi Antonelli continues with the upgraded specification introduced in Malaysia.

Speaking to media, including RacingNews365, Russell, who finished quickest in the sole practice session in Singapore, played down suggestions the new parts were the problem.

"For any team, it's always very important," said Russell. "However, there's no sign telling us the upgrade was not working. The car we had in Baku was the same car as we had in Budapest and Zandvoort. 

"In Baku, we were on pole by eight tenths, and then in Budapest, we were four tenths off the pace. So those fluctuations, even with a consistent car and your rivals with the same car, are drastic. Plus or minus one second, it can be that delta. 

"So we're pretty confident it's Malaysia-specific. When you look at the pace of Red Bull as well, they clearly over-performed compared to where they've been this season, compared to all of the other teams. 

"And actually, when you look at our pace compared to McLaren and Ferrari, it wasn't too dissimilar. It wasn't like massively out of bed. So this engine penalty this weekend's just given a good opportunity to roll back. It's a car that I won in Baku with, so let's see."

George Russell confirms remarkable timing of Mercedes conversations

Russell revealed that the decision to return to the old specification in Singapore was not a reaction to his Sepang retirement, but a conversation he had already started with Mercedes beforehand.

Asked how involved he was in those discussions, the 28-year-old explained that the matter had already been under debate within the team prior to his power unit failure.

Russell revealed: "Well, I instigated the conversation prior to the race on Sunday, so when the failure happened, it was kind of a no-brainer because we were kind of 50-50 about it pre-race.

"I was more in favour of doing it, and that was even pre-race. Whereas now, it is a total no-brainer."