George Russell avoided a penalty and kept his second-place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix after a post-race investigation regarding his car`s Drag Reduction System (DRS) usage.
Russell, who was in second position behind winner Oscar Piastri, faced several electronic problems, including issues with the brake-by-wire system and his steering wheel display.
His car also disconnected from the circuit`s automated DRS activation system, which is in place to prevent drivers from using DRS outside of designated zones or when not within one second of the car ahead.
Aware of the disconnection, Russell was instructed by his race engineer to manually override the system and activate DRS if he was close to the car in front.
He was told to use an auxiliary button that also functions as a backup radio button. Between Turns 10 and 11, while attempting to contact his team via radio, he accidentally activated DRS, but quickly deactivated it and slowed down to negate any performance advantage.
Stewards stated, `The DRS was activated for 37 meters on a straight of about 700 meters. Although he gained 0.02 seconds, he compensated by giving up 0.28 seconds at the following corner, confirmed by telemetry.`
`Therefore, while technically a breach occurred, the Stewards decided that since no sporting advantage was gained, no penalty would be applied.`
Russell mentioned he was managing multiple issues in the race`s final stages as McLaren`s Lando Norris approached and attempted to overtake.
`Yes, it was incredibly challenging towards the end,` Russell said. `I had various car problems.`
`My steering wheel was losing data, and the brake pedal malfunctioned, requiring resets. Brakes would work correctly one moment and fail the next. I was honestly relieved to see the checkered flag.`
`I`m unsure how the DRS issue happened. It was related to the failures we were experiencing.`
`As soon as I saw it activate, I backed off, losing two-tenths of a second.`
`It didn`t reoccur. I didn`t press the DRS button; I pressed another button, and it activated. As I said, I lost more than I gained—probably gained nothing as it was active for less than a second.`
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff commended Russell’s performance amidst numerous problems, emphasizing the difficulty of driving without a fully functional brake-by-wire system, which controls the rear brakes.
`We suddenly had a brake-by-wire failure, and it took time to adjust settings and reset, but we managed,` Wolff explained.
`And honestly, his management of the system, dealing with it while Norris was behind—it was an unbelievable drive.`
`His performance secured our podium today. Also, using soft tires for an extended period was excellent, balancing management and attacking when needed.`
`If you haven`t driven a car with BBW versus conventional brakes, it`s like driving a road car with power steering, then suddenly alternating between having it and not in every corner. It demands immense skill.`
`So, it was brake-by-wire, loss of GPS, loss of onboard DRS—everything. And we feared losing the entire dashboard display, which would mean losing all button and switch controls.`
