Four days after the conclusion of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Mercedes explained part of the issues that made Russell’s second half of the race extremely difficult. The second place secured by George in Sakhir was nearly miraculous.
“He drove like a circus performer juggling many pins in the air at once,” explained team representative and media chief Bradley Lord. “What he managed to do was really impressive—not only did he need mental focus to deal with the issues, but he also had to drive while defending from Lando’s attacks. It was an incredible performance.”
The first signs that something wasn’t working appeared midway through the race on the timing monitor, where George Russell was intermittently appearing and disappearing. The pit wall and remote garage in Brackley checked that George was still on track and, with relief, found that radio communications were working.
The issue concerned the transponder area used for timing, but its impact quickly went beyond just intermittent presence on the timing screens. Without a properly functioning transponder, it’s not possible at detection points to know if the car is within one second of the car ahead, making the automatic DRS system unusable.
The Mercedes pit wall informed race control and received approval to allow manual use of the DRS. George Russell was informed immediately, but right at that moment he activated the DRS for a fraction of a second, as later shown on television images.
“We were concerned that the dashboard display might go completely dark,” Lord explained. “So, where possible, we took corrective action. We have a backup system that allows the driver to activate DRS and communicate via radio, and it’s triggered by a button in the lower part of the cockpit.”
That’s the button George Russell pressed to activate the system, which also triggered the DRS opening. Fortunately, George reacted instantly by slowing down, a behavior that helped FIA clear him of any potential penalty. But just as one issue was resolved, a second and even more serious one emerged.
George reported a braking issue with the brake-by-wire system, specifically with the distribution of braking force between the hydraulic system and the MGU-K. The failure seriously impacted Russell’s braking feel, as he had to rely solely on the ‘passive’ braking system without the MGU-K. The problem wasn’t just recalibrating his braking approach at every corner—it was doing so with Norris in his mirrors.
After a few laps, the brake disc temperatures rose significantly, and the team advised him to alternate between the passive and active systems, hoping the latter could work for at least a few braking zones. Lap after lap, Russell managed everything flawlessly, ultimately crossing the finish line in second with great satisfaction.
An analysis over the past few days in Brackley identified the area where the issue originated, but the exact cause has yet to be determined. “We went back to the factory and started examining ten cases of components,” admitted Lord. “We saw the FOM timing transponder in rough shape—it looked almost charred—and then other parts from the brake-by-wire system. We know everything started with the transponder failure, and we’re continuing from that fault.”
While waiting for the final results of the investigation, what’s emerged so far is Russell’s composure under pressure, managing a chaotic situation with multiple technical failures on the car, soft tyre management (a late-race gamble by Mercedes strategists), and Lando Norris right on his tail. “He did a fantastic job,” concluded Lord—words echoed by the entire team in praise of George.
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