On the chequered flag of the Bahrain Grand Prix, George Russell’s Mercedes finishes in second place, however the Briton’s result’s shaky. Automobile #63 was in truth famous by the stewards for having opened the DRS at a time when it wasn’t allowed and should face a prolonged dialogue with FIA stewards to make clear the incident. The one who may gain advantage from a potential penalty for George Russell is Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who crossed the end line only a few seconds behind the Brit. But, within the post-race section, the Prancing Horse didn’t push for a sanction in opposition to the rival driver: why?
Tender Ferrari: no strain for a George Russell penalty
Formulation One is, as we all know, the top of motorsport competitors, and each element could make the distinction. At first of a season nonetheless with none podiums, many have been shocked by the politically passive perspective of the Maranello crew concerning the potential penalty for George Russell, which might have delivered Leclerc’s first podium of 2025. Within the post-race interview with Sky Italia, Ferrari crew principal Fred Vasseur even downplayed what occurred with the Mercedes driver. “He misplaced the transponder so we had neither the information nor the GPS. I believe it was his mistake, however I don’t assume they’ll penalise him as a result of the benefit was actually small.”
Then nothing extra. Nobody from the Ferrari storage raised their voice to attempt to seize the season’s first podium after the race. Following an extended dialogue after the occasion, the Federation determined to show a blind eye to the Russell episode, after verifying Mercedes’s technical difficulties and the minimal benefit gained by the Brit.
Not simply George Russell: DRS additionally opened for Charles Leclerc
To seek out a solution for Ferrari’s lack of “strain” in direction of the FIA stewards, it could be helpful to think about two episodes: a crew radio from Charles Leclerc and an onboard shot from the Monegasque’s SF-25. Russell wasn’t the one one to open the DRS at a forbidden second. Charles Leclerc himself, probably as a consequence of the transponder subject with the Mercedes forward of him, opened the rear wing for a fraction of a second whereas going via a nook. Noticing this anomaly, the Monegasque promptly requested his engineer Bryan Bozzi: “What the hell occurred? Why do I’ve the DRS lively?” The engineer’s reply was clear: “There was an issue with the transponders, use the DRS solely once I inform you.”
The anomalous DRS opening on automotive #16 was additionally captured by one of many onboard cameras on the SF-25. From the rear-facing digicam, which was monitoring an attacking Lando Norris, you may clearly see Leclerc’s DRS immediately open in flip 12.
Did Ferrari keep away from “pushing” the stewards to keep away from an investigation into Charles Leclerc? Or, contemplating the probably connection between the 2 incidents, ought to the Italian crew have tried to exert some type of “political strain” on the FIA?
LECLERC PUSO EL DRS EN MITAD DE UNA CURVA.
Lo quito rápidamente, pero ni se ha anotado esto.
📰 Créditos a @ramsescr63
— ElReyGuiri (@ElReyGuiri) April 13, 2025
— see video above —-
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