FIA Clarifies No Penalty for George Russell’s DRS Activation Error During Bahrain GP

In an unexpected turn of events, George Russell, the Mercedes driver, managed to keep his second-place podium finish during the Bahrain Grand Prix despite accidentally activating his Drag Reduction System (DRS) mechanism incorrectly.

Electronic Issues and DRS Mishap: What Happened?

Russell was running in second place, trailing leader Oscar Piastri, when he encountered electronic issues with his Mercedes, including a brake-by-wire malfunction and various other distracting gremlins. Additionally, there was an issue with a third-party-delivered transponder that momentarily dropped him to the bottom of the leaderboard, further confusing his automatic DRS activation system.

As per standard procedure, the FIA authorized Mercedes to use a manual override mode. Russell was advised by the team to use a backup radio button that also functions as a manual DRS activation button. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, he accidentally activated the DRS mechanism despite not being within one second of Piastri, which is not permitted.

The FIA’s Verdict and Explanation

The FIA stewards’ verdict stated that at the time Russell was experiencing a brake-by-wire issue and other electronic issues. He was instructed to use an auxiliary button in the cockpit, which serves as a backup radio button but also functions as a manual DRS activation button. On the straight between Turns 10 and 11, he attempted to radio the team using this button but instead accidentally activated the DRS. The DRS was active for a distance of 37 meters on a straight of approximately 700 meters, resulting in a gain of 0.02 seconds but a loss of 0.28 seconds at the next corner to compensate. This was confirmed by telemetry.

Given that technically a breach occurred, the stewards decided that as there was no sporting advantage gained, no penalty was imposed. There is precedent for similar incidents, such as during the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix when Racing Point’s Sergio Perez, Williams driver Lance Stroll, and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen all incorrectly activated DRS due to issues with the detection zones, leading to manual operation of the system. All three drivers were cleared at the time, with Perez retaining his podium spot as a result.

Photos from Bahrain GP – Race