George Russell: Incorrect cooling cost Mercedes 0.4s per lap in Bahrain GP

George Russell has revealed that an incorrect bodywork choice caused Mercedes to have overheating issues in the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Despite running as high as second in the early phase of the race, Russell slumped to fifth-place by the chequered flag, over 45 seconds behind Max Verstappen.

Russell had overtaken Charles Leclerc early on but dropped back as Mercedes struggled with an overheating engine.

Both Russell and Lewis Hamilton were down on power and forced to take drastic measures to ensure they finished the race.

Explaining the issue further, Russell said: “We both faced a similar problem. For whatever reason we had massive engine overheating and the battery wasn’t working properly.

“I made a really good start, got into second and I was like ‘here we go’ but suddenly I had these big red alarms on my steering wheel, I had no battery left, I had to turn the power down, we were losing four-tenths a lap in power. It was so difficult holding them off.

“I was surprised we managed to do it for the first 10 laps or so. We just went backwards thereafter.

“It’s a shame we didn’t get to show any real potential with this car. A bit of a strange day.”

Russell believes the issue wouldn’t have occurred had Mercedes opted for more cooling on the W15 - and that it’s an easy fix for the coming races.

“It’s nothing to be concerned about,” he added. “All we needed to do was put slightly less bodywork on. It may have cost us a quarter of a tenth but we wouldn’t have to lose four-tenths with the engine.

“Our forecast of the conditions were incorrect so we need to go around that loop. It ultimately cost us a lot.

“The Red Bulls were well out in front. Maybe we could have fought for P3 or given them a fight slightly earlier on. A difficult day.”