George Russell is under investigation after finishing second in the Bahrain Grand Prix, for potentially using DRS when it should have been deactivated.
The stewards have summoned him and a Mercedes team member to meet them at 8:45pm local time over his “alleged usage of the DRS system outside the pre-defined activation zones.”
Drivers are only permitted to activate DRS during the race when they are within one second of the car in front at certain pre-defined points on the track. Ordinarily drivers are unable to activate DRS when they are not close enough as it is detected by the timing system.
However a problem developed regarding the timing system on Russell’s car during today’s race. This was the reason why Russell’s name periodically dropped down the order on Formula 1’s official timing screens.
As a result, Russell’s team told him he had to rely on them for guidance on when he should use DRS. He spent much of the second half of the race well over a second behind leader Oscar Piastri.
The Mercedes driver did not believe he had activated his DRS during the race. “I wasn’t using DRS, I was ahead,” he told Sky.
Russell’s problem also affected those trying to race him, such as Lando Norris, who caught the Mercedes in the final laps of the race. Norris’s race engineer Will Joseph told him he must avoid using DRS when he was not within a second of the Mercedes. “We can only use DRS when we’re 100% sure we’re within it,” said Joseph.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
As the system is ordinarily automated, few drivers have committed the infraction of using DRS when they should not. One exception occured in 2013, when Fernando Alonso activated his DRS when it should have been disabled three times during the Hungarian Grand Prix. His Ferrari team was fined €15,000 (£12,945) for the infringement.
In 2018 Sergio Perez also avoided a penalty for activating his DRS when it should have been disabled during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Update: Russell keeps second place after rare “no penalty” decision for DRS infringement
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
2025 Bahrain Grand Prix
- “What the hell have you done?” Leclerc shocked by his DRS opening at turn 12
- McLaren makes best start to a season since before its drivers were born
- Norris feels “nowhere near the capability I have” in McLaren’s 2025 car
- “I don’t think it was right”: Antonelli disagreed with Mercedes over third pit stop
- “Oh my God that was difficult”: Full radio from Verstappen’s luckless Bahrain GP