Why Ferrari didn't push for George Russell’s penalty: clues in Charles Leclerc’s onboard?

At the chequered flag of the Bahrain Grand Prix, George Russell’s Mercedes finishes in second place, but the Briton’s result is shaky. Car #63 was in fact noted by the stewards for having opened the DRS at a time when it wasn’t allowed and will have to face a lengthy discussion with FIA stewards to clarify the incident. The one who could benefit from a possible penalty for George Russell is Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who crossed the finish line just a few seconds behind the Brit. Yet, in the post-race phase, the Prancing Horse did not push for a sanction against the rival driver: why?

Soft Ferrari: no pressure for a George Russell penalty
Formula One is, as we know, the pinnacle of motorsport competition, and every detail can make the difference. At the start of a season still without any podiums, many were surprised by the politically passive attitude of the Maranello team regarding the potential penalty for George Russell, which would have delivered Leclerc’s first podium of 2025. In the post-race interview with Sky Italia, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur even downplayed what happened with the Mercedes driver. “He lost the transponder so we had neither the data nor the GPS. I think it was his mistake, but I don’t think they’ll penalise him because the advantage was really small.”

Then nothing more. No one from the Ferrari garage raised their voice to try and seize the season’s first podium after the race. Following a long discussion after the event, the Federation decided to turn a blind eye to the Russell episode, after verifying Mercedes’s technical difficulties and the minimal advantage gained by the Brit.

Not just George Russell: DRS also opened for Charles Leclerc
To find an answer for Ferrari’s lack of “pressure” towards the FIA stewards, it may be useful to consider two episodes: a team radio from Charles Leclerc and an onboard shot from the Monegasque’s SF-25. Russell wasn’t the only one to open the DRS at a forbidden moment. Charles Leclerc himself, likely as a consequence of the transponder issue with the Mercedes ahead of him, opened the rear wing for a fraction of a second while going through a corner. Noticing this anomaly, the Monegasque promptly asked his engineer Bryan Bozzi: “What the hell happened? Why do I have the DRS active?” The engineer’s reply was clear: “There was a problem with the transponders, use the DRS only when I tell you.”

The anomalous DRS opening on car #16 was also captured by one of the onboard cameras on the SF-25. From the rear-facing camera, which was monitoring an attacking Lando Norris, you can clearly see Leclerc’s DRS suddenly open in turn 12.

Did Ferrari avoid “pushing” the stewards to avoid an investigation into Charles Leclerc? Or, considering the likely connection between the two incidents, should the Italian team have tried to exert some form of “political pressure” on the FIA?

LECLERC PUSO EL DRS EN MITAD DE UNA CURVA.

Lo quito rápidamente, pero ni se ha anotado esto.

📰 Créditos a @ramsescr63

pic.twitter.com/zhp5I37MuR

— ElReyGuiri (@ElReyGuiri) April 13, 2025