Russell facing potential penalty after DRS mishap in Bahrain

George Russell’s stellar second-place finish at the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix hangs in the balance as the Mercedes driver faces a stewards’ investigation for a DRS infringement.

The FIA noted that Russell opened his DRS outside a designated zone during the race, prompting a post-race summons.

The incident, occurring on lap 45, was compounded by multiple technical issues with his W16, including a transponder glitch that may have disrupted Lando Norris’s DRS detection behind him.

Mercedes race engineer Marcus Dudley informed Russell mid-race that the DRS issue required manual override, instructing him to open it only on team orders.

Russell also battled a brake-by-wire failure, which he later revealed caused further chaos.

“We were having all sorts of failures, one lap I clicked the radio button and the DRS opened. I hit close and backed off, so didn’t gain any advantage,” Russell explained post-race, hoping to avoid a penalty.

2025 Bahrain Grand Prix - Race results

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