Russell retires with five laps to go as his deficit grows from 66 to 84 points

George Russell looked set for at least a podium when a power-unit problem abruptly stopped his Mercedes with five laps remaining. He was running third behind Verstappen and Antonelli when his car came to a halt during the final Safety Car period.

The championship consequence is severe. Russell had reduced his deficit to Antonelli to 66 points after Baku. With his retirement and his team-mate’s second place, the gap is now back up to 84 points with seven rounds remaining.

Russell himself admits his title chances are now ‘exceptionally unlikely’. Toto Wolff confirms a power-unit failure and points to another issue: Mercedes had already failed to find the expected pace at Sepang even before the retirement. A weekend that was supposed to continue Russell’s comeback has therefore produced exactly the opposite effect.