F1 today:Lewis Hamilton disqualification proves Mercedes got….read more
Lewis Hamilton disqualification proves Mercedes got….read more
Lewis Hamilton’s first season with Ferrari hasn’t gone quite as many expected. After four rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 season, the seven-time world champion has only managed to collect 25 points, placing him seventh in the drivers’ standings—behind the young Italian driver who replaced him at Mercedes. Hamilton’s most dramatic weekend so far came at the Chinese Grand Prix, where he won the sprint race but was later disqualified from Sunday’s main event, all within the same weekend.
While Hamilton has faced a tough start to life at Ferrari, things have gone relatively smoother for his former team, Mercedes. George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli have both shown consistency in scoring points. However, in Bahrain, Russell found himself on the edge of a similar fate that Hamilton experienced in 2021, raising questions over whether Mercedes narrowly escaped serious consequences.
Hamilton’s past experience with a DRS-related disqualification dates back to the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix. After qualifying fastest for the sprint race, he was disqualified for a technical infringement on his car’s rear wing. Specifically, the issue was with the Drag Reduction System (DRS), which allows the rear wing to open under certain conditions to improve overtaking. The FIA ruled that the DRS gap exceeded the allowed maximum of 85mm at one section of the wing. Despite passing tests at other parts of the wing, one section allowed a measuring gauge to pass through, indicating non-compliance. This led to Hamilton being stripped of his P1 starting position and forced to start from the back.
Fast forward to the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, George Russell came under scrutiny for a different kind of DRS issue. Russell, who finished second in the race, was investigated post-race after it was discovered that he had manually activated DRS outside the designated zone. The incident occurred during a period when he was experiencing electronic problems, including a brake-by-wire issue. Attempting to contact his team via the backup radio button—which also functions as a manual DRS activator—Russell unintentionally opened the DRS flap for 37 meters on the straight between Turns 10 and 11.
The stewards reviewed telemetry and confirmed that although Russell gained approximately 0.02 seconds from the DRS activation, he lost about 0.28 seconds at the next corner, likely compensating for the earlier gain. As a result, they ruled that while a breach of the rules had occurred, there was no significant sporting advantage gained, and therefore chose not to impose a penalty.
This incident draws a sharp contrast to Hamilton’s 2021 disqualification, where a clear technical fault with the car led to severe consequences. Russell, on the other hand, avoided punishment due to the accidental nature of the activation and lack of performance gain. However, had the stewards decided to apply even a minor penalty, Russell would have lost his podium finish.
In the end, the Bahrain outcome illustrates just how fine the margins are in Formula 1 and how Mercedes may have narrowly avoided a major setback—something Hamilton was not spared in years past.
