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
What time is the 2026 Japanese GP and how can I watch it?
Antonelli ‘would love’ to do an endurance race with Verstappen
How Albon is writing the latest chapter in Southeast Asia’s F1 story
Fisichella reacts to Antonelli’s F1 breakthrough
The 15 Italian F1 race winners Antonelli now joins
Sainz reflects on leaving McLaren and potential lost title bid
