Toto Wolff Relives Sepang Engine Curse as Russell’s Title Hopes Go Up in Smoke: “Massively Annoyed”
Ten years ago, the Sepang International Circuit ripped the 2016 World Championship away from Lewis Hamilton in a devastating cloud of Mercedes engine smoke. Fast forward to the relocated 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, and the abrasive Malaysian asphalt just served…
Ten years ago, the Sepang International Circuit stripped Lewis Hamilton of the 2016 World Championship title due to a Mercedes engine smoke incident. Fast forward to the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, and the Malaysian circuit delivered another dose of déjà vu for the Silver Arrows. After enduring a scorching cockpit temperature of 60°C without a cooling vest and confronting a perplexing W17 upgrade package, George Russell was poised for a surefire podium finish.
However, with just five laps remaining, his power unit failed catastrophically. Team principal Toto Wolff expressed his bitter disappointment over the mechanical failure, which possibly snuffed out Russell's 2026 title aspirations.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
