Wolff lyrical over 'unbelievable' Russell after 'incredibly tough' issues compromised race

Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff has praised George Russell after the Brit dealt with some 'tough' issues in the closing stages of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Russell managed to finish in second place after leapfrogging Charles Leclerc as the race started. The Brit, who has finished on the podium at three Grands Prix so far this season, was forced to deal with some gremlins in the final stages of the race. Despite this, he managed to keep a charging Lando Norris at bay to finish an impressive second place.

Wolff explains the issues that Russell suffered with

Speaking to GPblog and other media present at the Bahrain International Circuit, Wolff explained what plagued Ruussell's W15. "We had a brake-by-wire failure suddenly, and then it took a while to find the settings to reset it, but we did," he began.

"To be honest, George managing the system while fending off Norris was just unbelievable. He secured us this podium. On top of that, taking the softs for such a long stint was also great — managing when needed and attacking when needed. If you haven’t driven a race car with brake-by-wire, it’s like a road car with power-assisted brakes. To suddenly lose that feedback and adjust corner by corner is incredibly tough."

Russell finished in an impressive second place despite the issues

That was not the only issue Russell faced, however. As a consequence, the Brit had even more to deal with, which Wolff explained in depth. "He lost the GPS, onboard DRS, the whole lot. On the dash, we didn’t have everything you’d expect. We also feared we might lose the whole dash, which would’ve meant no buttons, and no way to exit settings," the Austrian said.

Russell survived a 'big test' in Bahrain

"But he had the shift lights and kept it all in mind without losing focus. It was a big test — high temperatures, demanding circuit — and despite question marks coming into the weekend, we ended up with P2, which is much better than expected."

Russell sits in fourth place in the drivers standings after four rounds and one sprint. The Mercedes driver has started impressively, constistently picking up solid points.

When asked if this is one of Russell's best-ever performances, Wolff replied: "I’m terrible at remembering races, but this one was unbelievable. With a wounded car, finishing P2 ahead of Norris is a fantastic result."

Mercedes will be looking to find a root cause for the issues Russell suffered. Despite the solid result, they'll want to avoid a repeat as the season continues. "We don’t know yet (what caused the issue). Could be wiring looms, or maybe it was triggered by a failure in the ERS system. That may have caused the rest of the system to cascade," Wolff concluded in the paddock.

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