Russell retires late as Antonelli extends championship lead

George Russell retired late from the Malaysian Grand Prix after Mercedes reported a suspected power-unit problem, ending a race in which he said he had been on course for a podium. The failure occurred during a late Safety Car period and marked Russell’s third non-finish of the season. Teammate Kimi Antonelli finished second, extending his championship lead over Russell to 84 points. Russell had run near the front for much of the race and was in contention for a strong result when he pulled off the track before the final restart. Mercedes attributed the retirement to a suspected power-unit issue. The specific component involved and the confirmed cause have not been established in the supplied reports. Russell described the retirement as another setback in a season marked by repeated problems. He said his title hopes were exceptionally unlikely and that he had needed circumstances to go his way to mount a comeback. The lost result widened the gap to Antonelli, who finished behind race winner Max Verstappen. The retirement followed a difficult qualifying session for Mercedes. Russell qualified eighth and Antonelli fourth, despite the team bringing an upgrade package to the W17.