George Russell delivered an impressive performance at the Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing in second place despite battling multiple technical issues in the final stages of the race. The result marks Russell’s third podium finish in the opening four rounds of the 2025 Formula One season, underlining both his consistency and competitiveness.
For rookie Kimi Antonelli, the race presented another valuable learning opportunity. The 18-year-old Italian crossed the line in 11th place, narrowly missing out on his first championship points in only his fourth Formula 1 start.
Strong Start and Strategic Adjustments
Russell, who started third on the grid following a one-place penalty, made a strong move at the start to reclaim P2 from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the opening corner. He maintained competitive pace throughout the race, staying within striking distance of the lead despite increasing technical difficulties.
Antonelli, meanwhile, lost ground early on but recovered well after his initial pit stop on lap 13. The team opted to shift him to a three-stop strategy, aiming to exploit the Soft compound tyres in the second half of the race. However, this strategy was disrupted by a Safety Car period on lap 32, which reduced the effectiveness of the alternative approach.
Both drivers pitted for fresh Softs under the Safety Car, with Russell rejoining in second and Antonelli outside the top ten.
In the closing laps, Russell faced considerable technical challenges, including a brake-by-wire system failure that compromised his braking consistency. He was forced to manually reset the system multiple times, creating uncertainty every time he approached a corner.
Russell’s comments post-race:
“That was a really challenging race. We had some problems in the last 12 laps, including a brake-by-wire failure. When I was hitting the brakes, the pedal was inconsistent, and I had to do some resets for it to work properly again. For 10 laps in a row, going into every corner, I didn’t know whether it would be giving me the same feeling or not. It definitely compromised the race, but at the end of the day, bringing the car home in P2 is mega.”
Adding to the complexity, there were also DRS control issues, forcing Russell to manually override the system during the race.
“The brake-by-wire failure wasn’t the only technical challenge we were dealing with either! There were all sorts of issues going on with the transponder and the signals going to the car. That meant that we had to manually override the DRS. At one point, I hit the radio button and saw that the DRS was open. I closed it immediately and lifted off the throttle, so we actually gave up time. Happily, the stewards agreed that no sporting advantage was gained. All of those issues compromised that last stint, but the main thing is we leave here with another podium and more solid points scored.”
Antonelli Continues to Build Experience
Although Antonelli finished just outside the points in P11, his pace and racecraft showed clear signs of progression. His performance in traffic and adaptation to changing strategy conditions reflect a driver quickly growing in confidence.
“Kimi showed real determination and maturity, particularly given the complexity of the race,” said a team representative. “It’s only a matter of time before he breaks into the top ten.”
