Mercedes driver George Russell has expressed his frustration after the tumultuous Bahrain Grand Prix held in Sepang, stating that the day was ‘not very representative of F1’. His race was affected by a power unit failure on lap 50, thus losing his chances of getting on the podium.
Russell had been competing strongly for a podium position at the Malaysian circuit. However, this new setback adds to a difficult season for the Brit, who is currently 84 points behind his teammate and championship leader, Kimi Antonelli.
After his retirement, Russell described the event as ‘very disappointing’ and criticized the technical complications that marked the day. The Grand Prix started with a significant delay due to heavy rain, and when the formation lap finally began, chaos ensued as several vehicles faced computer problems in wet conditions.
The FIA single-seater director, Nikolas Tombazis, explained that a ‘concertina’ situation occurred among the cars, where some vehicles nearly came to a complete stop. ‘This error prevented power from being redeployed and allowed the cars to resume the race,’ he added.
Russell commented that the day was ‘rather complicated’ with the delays, successive stops, and empty laps. ‘I wouldn’t feel satisfied if I had been a spectator of this,’ he stated. Additionally, he emphasized that the evolution of power units makes the situation even more challenging, highlighting the need for simplification in the category to avoid future inconveniences.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
