Mercedes drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli have faced a setback at the Bahrain Grand Prix, each receiving a one-place grid drop after a procedural error by their team during Saturday’s qualifying.
The infraction, which occurred under a red flag in Q2, saw both drivers released into the pitlane prematurely, violating Formula 1’s sporting regulations.
As a result, Russell lost his hard-earned front-row position to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, while Antonelli’s demotion from fourth handed Alpine’s Pierre Gasly a promotion to P4.
The penalty, though light, serves as a warning to teams, with Mercedes accepting responsibility for what the FIA deemed an “unintentional and genuine mistake.”
The incident unfolded during a chaotic Q2, halted by a crash from Haas’ Esteban Ocon. With the session paused, teams awaited race control’s signal to resume.
Mercedes, however, misread the situation, sending Russell and Antonelli out on to the pitlane before an official restart time was confirmed.
The FIA stewards’ investigation pinned the error on a misinterpretation by the team’s head of trackside engineering, Andrew Shovlin, leading to a sanction that slightly reshapes the front of the grid for Sunday’s race.
FIA Stewards’ Verdict
The FIA stewards issued a detailed statement outlining the breach and their reasoning for the penalty:
“The team representative, Mr Shovlin, in evidence stated that he gave the instruction for the cars to be released, in error, having misinterpreted the message posted on page 3 of the Timing Screen, ‘estimated re-start time’ to be a message advising the actual re-start time.
“He argued that there was no sporting advantage gained in this case as there was sufficient time remaining (11 minutes) for other teams to perform their run plans.
“It was also noted that the team’s Sporting Director, [Ron] Meadows, was not present at the event and that normally he would be involved in the release process.
“The FIA Single Seater Sporting Director stated that such a move could be a sporting advantage in that it could enable a team to perform its run plan whereas other teams may not be able to. The Stewards agree with this view particularly where there are only a few minutes remaining in the session.”
2025 Bahrain Grand Prix - Qualifying resultsThe stewards’ decision to impose a grid drop rather than a fine was deliberate, aimed at deterring similar infractions. By acknowledging Mercedes’ mistake as genuine, they opted for a lenient one-place penalty but cautioned that future violations could trigger harsher consequences.
“The FIA Sporting Director argued that there needed to be a sporting penalty rather than a team fine, otherwise in future teams would release their cars as soon as the estimated re-start time was published. The Stewards agree with this view,” concluded the statement.
A Costly Misstep for Mercedes
The penalty stings for Mercedes, particularly for Russell, who had secured a front-row start alongside McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Dropping to third, he now faces a tougher challenge to convert his qualifying pace into a podium, with Leclerc’s Ferrari slotting into second. Antonelli, meanwhile, slips to fifth, ceding fourth to Gasly, whose Alpine showed surprising pace.
The reshuffle disrupts Mercedes’ strategy, leaving the team to shift its focus to mitigating the impact of a mistake that has already reshaped their Bahrain ambitions.
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