Those who watched the Bahrain Grand Prix would undoubtedly have noticed: during the race, George Russell suddenly dropped down the timing list, after which he could no longer use the DRS button. Mercedes took ten suitcases full of parts back to the factory in Brackley, with an ‘essential’ clue as a result: “A considerably damaged and slightly charred-looking FOM timing transponder.”
During the Bahrain Grand Prix, George Russell struggled with a non-functioning DRS system in his W16. After the race, the Mercedes driver explained that the problem arose after he accidentally pressed both the radio button and the DRS button on his steering wheel, at a time when he was outside the DRS distance.
Despite an additional issue with the electromechanical brakes, Russell managed to keep Lando Norris behind him and finish second. The incident led to an investigation into possible irregular use of DRS, but did not result in a penalty. “It lasted a second and I didn’t benefit from it,” said Russell.
Essential Clue
Mercedes initiated an investigation into the reliability issues. In the official race debrief of the Bahrain Grand Prix, team representative Bradley Lord revealed that Mercedes has found an ‘essential’ clue: a broken timing transponder. “What we know is that the transponder broke just before the end of the first half of the race distance. Suddenly there was a lap where we wondered what was going on, as George Russell‘s name dropped down the timing list,” he says. The timing transponder is a component connected to other key systems. “If you lose the timing transponder, you lose the part of the car that communicates with the DRS mechanism. So to activate the DRS, to know whether you or another car are within a second of each other.”
Lord also explains how Russell inadvertently activated the DRS system on the straight. “We have a reserve radio system in the car. This is not on the steering wheel, but with a button in the cockpit. That button, it turns out, is also the backup and the manual backup for the DRS, should it fail. George was practicing with the manual reserve radio, so he could use it if necessary. He pressed the button and inadvertently opened the DRS on the straight, because it does those two things at once.”
Ten Suitcases
Furthermore, the team representative emphasizes that the main causes have not yet been found. “We are just back in the factory with about ten different suitcases of parts and items that we have brought back, including a rather battered and slightly charred-looking FOM timing transponder. On top of that, some other parts that are also related to the brake-by-wire system. So we don’t have the real cause yet.”
