Russell explains DRS issue as he faces post-Bahrain GP investigation
George Russell suffered technical issues with his Mercedes which triggered his DRS malfunction and misuse
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
George Russell has explained the bizarre DRS issue he suffered during the Bahrain Grand Prix, which may lead to a post-race penalty as he is under investigation.
The Mercedes driver, who finished second on the road in Bahrain, said his DRS opened accidentally as he grappled with multiple system failures on his car.
“We were having all sorts of failures and we did an override on the DRS,” he explained in parc ferme after the race. “On one lap I clicked the radio button and the DRS opened, so I straight away closed it again, backed off, and nothing was gained.
“I lost more than I gained. It was only open for a split second, so it goes to show the amount of issues we were having.”
The Brit now faces an FIA stewards investigation given he used DRS outside of the permitted zones.
It means Russell’s second place is at risk, as a time penalty would see him lose position to Lando Norris, who finished just 0.774s behind him. If Russell is handed a five-second penalty, he would move to fourth place, behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
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