Despite starting the race strongly, Russell gradually slipped back during the Bahrain GP due to issues with his Mercedes F1 car. Things took a turn for the worse and Russell described finding himself in a ‘downward spiral’.
“We had to dial down the power to prevent the engine from overheating further, which likely cost us about four tenths per lap from that point on. We were going backwards,” lamented Russell post-race. “It’s disappointing that we couldn’t showcase the true potential of the car. We need to investigate what went wrong.”
Prior to the troubles, George Russell seemed to be in contention for a podium finish but ultimately had to settle for fifth place.
“Our early laps were promising,” Russell noted. “It’s difficult to determine our real speed since we had to limit the engine and resort to ‘lift and coast’, which affected the tires. It became a downward spiral.”
“I don’t believe a podium finish was achievable, but we definitely could have performed better overall.”