Russell reveals ‘all sorts of failures’ he experienced in tense Bahrain GP as he avoids penalty

George Russell has given some insight into the various problems he battled in the closing stages of the Bahrain Grand Prix, all while trying to keep Lando Norris at bay for second position, as he avoided any potential post-race penalty for a DRS infringement.

Mercedes driver Russell started Sunday night’s race from third on the grid but managed to jump Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc into Turn 1, after which he remained leader Oscar Piastri’s closest challenger.

READ MORE: Piastri storms to controlled victory in Bahrain Grand Prix ahead of Russell and Norris

Then, following a mid-race Safety Car, Russell found himself on soft tyres for his final stint compared to the medium and hards around him, setting up an intriguing finish as different strategies played out under the Sakhir lights.

However, the Briton’s task of managing that softer rubber for more than 20 laps was made even more challenging by issues that developed aboard his car – allowing third-placed Norris to close in but not quite find a way past.

“It felt all under control for a moment, then suddenly we had a brake-by-wire failure, so the pedal was going long, then it was going short… I didn’t know what was going on… the steering wheel wasn’t working properly,” Russell explained.

“It was really hard-fought to keep Lando behind; I think one more lap and he would have got me pretty comfortably. Nevertheless, I’m really pleased with P2.”

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Pressed on the Drag Reduction System trouble that was discussed with his engineer over the radio, he continued: “We were basically having all sorts of failures. We did an override on the DRS, and on one lap I clicked the radio button and the DRS opened.

“I straightaway closed it again, backed off, nothing gained, and I lost more than I gained – it was only open for a split second. It kind of goes to show the amount of issues we were having, but as I said, I’m really pleased with P2.”

As for the rest of the race, Russell admitted to being “not too sure how” he and Mercedes made that final, lengthy stint on soft tyres work, while praising Piastri and McLaren for their commanding display.

“I mean, Oscar was in a league of his own, so congratulations to him and to McLaren,” said Russell. “We knew they’d be pretty extraordinary around this circuit and that was proven right.

READ MORE: ‘We finished the job in style’ – Piastri ‘very proud’ to deliver McLaren’s first Bahrain GP win with commanding display

“For ourselves, it’s been four races, three podiums, all on different types of tracks, so it gives us confidence going into the future.”

Russell met with the stewards to discuss the alleged DRS infringement he referenced in his post-race interview, and while the panel confirmed a breach had occurred, they opted against applying a penalty given that no sporting advantage was gained.