Russell and Antonelli Cop Grid Penalties for Pit Lane Blunder in Bahrain

Mercedes teammates George Russell and teenage prodigy Kimi Antonelli were both handed one-place grid penalties following a procedural misstep while qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The infringement occurred during Q2 when both drivers were released into the pit lane during a red flag stoppage before the session was officially cleared to resume. The issue stems from new regulations stipulating that cars may only join the fast lane once a confirmed restart time has been published—not merely an estimated one.

Mercedes released both cars after interpreting the “estimated restart time” message on the timing screens as a confirmation to proceed. The team has since admitted it was a genuine mistake made in the absence of long-time Sporting Director Ron Meadows, who was absent in Bahrain.

According to the stewards, Mercedes engineer Andrew Shovlin instructed the cars to release, wrongly assuming the restart time was official. While he argued that no sporting advantage was gained—noting there were still 11 minutes left in the session—the FIA disagreed.

The FIA’s Single Seater Sporting Director countered that early entry into the fast lane could confer a strategic advantage, enabling one team to run its planned programme ahead of rivals still waiting on official clearance.

In their ruling, the stewards acknowledged the mistake was unintentional and accepted Shovlin’s apology. However, they emphasised the need to uphold the sporting regulations. They noted that if no penalty had been applied, it could set a precedent for future infractions.

As a result, both Russell and Antonelli were hit with one-place grid drops.

Russell, who had provisionally secured a front-row start, will now line up third on the grid behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli, who had slotted into fourth, will start fifth, promoting Alpine’s Pierre Gasly into the second row.

The stewards also made it clear that while this case involved an honest misinterpretation, similar breaches in the future—particularly if deliberate—could attract more severe sporting penalties.