The outcome of the investigation into George Russell for the unintentional activation of the DRS during the Bahrain GP and his potential penalty has arrived: is this good news for Ferrari?
F1, Russell cleared after investigation for irregular DRS use in Bahrain
George Russell will not receive any penalty after being investigated for allegedly improper use of the DRS during the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix. The FIA stewards confirmed that although there was a technical breach of Article 22.1 h) of the Sporting Regulations, no competitive advantage was gained, and therefore no penalty was applied.
The FIA clarified that there was no sporting advantage: no penalty for the Mercedes driver
During the race, Mercedes car number 63 activated the DRS at a time when it was more than one second behind the car ahead, theoretically violating the rules. However, a detailed investigation revealed that the connection between the DRS automatic system and the car had failed due to issues with an external timing loop. This led the FIA to authorize manual DRS use, as permitted by the referenced article.
Russell, who was dealing with brake issues and other electronic system problems, attempted to communicate with the team using an auxiliary button in the cockpit, which unintentionally activated the DRS. The device remained open for just 37 meters on a straight of about 700 meters, gaining only 0.02 seconds—then entirely offset by a 0.28-second loss in the following corner, as confirmed by telemetry data.
“Although technically there was a violation, the stewards have decided that since no sporting advantage was gained, no penalty will be applied,” reads the FIA’s official statement.
The stewards also emphasized that the incident resulted from a genuine and unintentional error by the team, and that the auxiliary system is allowed as a backup in case of DRS malfunctions.
This episode highlights the growing complexity of electronic systems in Formula 1, and how minor errors can lead to detailed investigations.
