Mercedes Formula 1 driver George Russell has criticised the chaotic and heavily disrupted Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang as "not very F1", following a late power unit failure that saw his podium hopes slip away. Reporting via Motorsport.com, the tricky wet-weather conditions created major headaches throughout the paddock.
George Russell had looked firmly in contention for a podium finish at the Sepang International Circuit before a sudden power unit failure on lap 50 brought a premature end to his afternoon. The retirement added to a difficult campaign for the Briton, who now trails his team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 84 points in the standings.
While he described the retirement as very disappointing, George Russell also heavily criticised the persistent issues that plagued the formation laps earlier in the day. After lengthy delays due to heavy rainfall, the formation lap finally got under way roughly an hour and 20 minutes later than the scheduled start time.
However, proceedings quickly descended into chaos when multiple cars encountered major software issues in the wet weather conditions, causing further frustrating delays. FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis explained the root cause of the glitch to the media following the conclusion of the event.
"There was a bit of a concertina effect between cars, and some cars almost stopped completely. That bug prevented the power from being redeployed and for the cars to start again," Nikolas Tombazis stated, adding, "If we had had a bit more testing, we probably would have managed to catch it in time, and not to have such a situation."
Speaking to the media after the race, George Russell shared his unfiltered thoughts on how the entire event played out under the challenging circumstances. The 28-year-old expressed sympathy for the fans watching the unusual events unfold from the grandstands.
"The whole day felt like a bit of a faff with the delay and then the red flag and then endless laps under the safety car and then suddenly doing extra laps to allow Checo to overtake," George Russell explained regarding the procedural confusion.
He continued by saying, "It just didn't feel very F1 today. And I'd have been a bit disappointed if I was in the stands watching that unfold. So that wasn't good. But from my side, just a bit frustrating."
Concluding his remarks, George Russell pointed directly at the technological complexity of modern grand prix cars as a primary concern for the sport moving forward. "It's all just so complicated. The power units are exceptionally complicated. The more complicated you make things, the more there is to go wrong. So that is obviously something we need to bear in mind for the future," he warned.
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