MONDAY MORNING DEBRIEF: How Russell held onto a brilliant P2 in Bahrain – despite car failures, tyre woes and a charging Norris on his tail


George Russell’s second place in the Bahrain Grand Prix was a superb demonstration of composure as he fought off the attacks of Lando Norris in the late stages, while dealing with an array of control system glitches in his Mercedes.
Even without the failed transponder, loss of dashboard functions, the failure of the DRS (drag reduction system) to automatically arm itself and the brake-by-wire function disappearing, Russell would already have been facing a difficult challenge in keeping the medium-tyred Norris behind him on a set of soft tyres.

Unlock exclusive F1 content and more with F1 Unlocked. Totally free.
Membership gets you closer with:
Curated insider content
Live like an F1 insider with exclusive access and VIP experiences
Member benefits, rewards and offers
Next Up
Related Articles
Tech WeeklyRevisiting the best cars from every decade in F1 history
AnalysisWhy Cadillac decided to go for Perez and Bottas
F1 FantasyWhat's the best F1 Fantasy line-up for Zandvoort?
Piastri braced for title fight pressure to ‘ramp up’
What is the weather forecast for the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix?
F1 FantasyWin £2000 in F1 Fantasy's Mid-season Masters Mini League