Toto Wolff has praised George Russell for an “unbelievable drive” to P2 in the Bahrain Grand Prix, with the Briton having to manage a range of car issues while trying to keep McLaren’s Lando Norris at bay.
After lining up in P3 on the grid, Russell overtook Charles Leclerc for second place at the start and remained as Oscar Piastri’s closest challenger throughout the race, despite being one of the only frontrunners to sport the soft tyre during the latter stages.
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However, as well as trying to look after the softer compound right to the chequered flag, Russell faced further challenges as his W16 experienced problems including a brake-by-wire failure, a loss of GPS and DRS issues – all while being chased down by Norris.
Asked about the difficulties posed during those final laps, Wolff explained: “The brake-by-wire failed suddenly, and then it took a while to find the settings to kind of reset it. But we did that, and then, to be honest, him managing the system, coming in and out while Norris was behind him… It’s just an unbelievable drive, to be honest.
“What he did today, he secured us this podium on top of that. Taking the soft for such a long time was also great, between managing and then attacking when he needed to.
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