Russell remains second: DRS breakdown and Hülkenberg's disqualification!

Russell remains second: DRS breakdown and Hülkenberg's disqualification!

George Russell will keep second place at the Bahrain Grand Prix after the racing commissioners have decided that he does not get a punishment for the accidental activation of his drag reduction system (DRS). The incident occurred on the straight between curve 10 and 11, when Russell unintentionally activated the DRS during a radio test with the command stand. Although he could have won 0.02 seconds, he immediately reduced his pace in front of the next curve and did not benefit from the DRS activation.

The racing commissioners said that the incident was due to a problem in the automated DRS activation system caused by difficulties with an external time cut loop. According to the regulations of the FIA, manual DRS activation in accordance with Article 22.1 h) was approved in this case. Russell also had technical problems with his brake-by-wire system, which also complicated the situation. He was advised to use an auxiliary button in the cockpit that is used for manual DRS activation.

technical details about the DRS

The Drag Reduction System (DRS) was introduced in Formula 1 in 2011 to increase the number of overtaking maneuvers. The system lowers the air resistance by putting part of the rear wing hydraulically flatter, whereby a higher top speed is reached on straight. DRS may only be used by drivers that are located within a second distance to the vehicle in advance.

The use of DRS is allowed in defined areas of the route and is automatically deactivated as soon as the brake pedal is operated. In the event of wetness, the use is not permitted for safety reasons. It was particularly striking that Russell activated the DRS over a distance of 37 meters on an approximately 700 meter long straight.

disqualification of Hülkenberg

Another remarkable decision in the race was Nico Hülkenberg, which was subsequently disqualified. The reason for this was that the "skids" on its underbody were too thin. This is not the first time this season that a driver was disqualified because of this offense, and Lewis Hamilton also suffered a similar fate at the China GP. Hülkenberg ended the race in 13th place, and the disqualification has a less serious effect due to his placement.

performance of other teams

ASTON Martin had a difficult weekend in Bahrain and took the places P15 and P17. Lance Stroll noticed that there was not much positive things to report, and emphasized that the team worked hard to improve. Fernando Alonso added that their speed could not keep up with the competition and that they could not benefit from their strategy through a safety car.