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.
Next Up
Related Articles
Red Bull 'sincerely regret' abuse faced by Antonelli
Piastri ‘speechless’ after ‘gut-wrenching’ Qatar GP
Facts and StatsVerstappen’s 50th win as #1 means he could yet retain it
Alpine confirm 2026 launch event date
AnalysisThe key questions as Red Bull confirm 2026 line-up
Sainz ‘over the moon’ with podium in Qatar
