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George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will incur one-place grid penalties after departing their garages prematurely during the qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix. This incident will result in Russell starting the race on Sunday in third position, with Oscar Piastri taking pole and Charles Leclerc in second. Pierre Gasly will begin the race in fourth, followed by Antonelli in fifth.
The Mercedes pair left the pit lane early during Q2, shortly before the session resumed following a significant crash involving Esteban Ocon at Turn 3.
Bahrain GP: Top 10 Starting Grid
1) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
3) George Russell, Mercedes
4) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
5) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
6) Lando Norris, McLaren
7) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
8) Carlos Sainz, Williams
9) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
10) Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull
(Note: Positions for Russell and Antonelli have been adjusted due to the grid penalties.)
The stewards issued a statement outlining that the team representative, Mr. Shovlin, admitted to erroneously instructing the cars to be released after misunderstanding the timing screen’s information regarding the estimated restart time. Shovlin expressed that he believed no competitive advantage was gained since there was still significant time left in the session for other teams to complete their runs.
Despite this, the FIA’s single-seater sporting director highlighted that releasing the cars early could potentially provide a strategic advantage, allowing teams to complete their run plans while others might not have the same opportunity. The stewards concurred with this perspective, especially towards the session’s closing minutes.
The stewards decided that an appropriate penalty was necessary, affirming that such actions should not be repeated without consequence to maintain fairness. They concluded that while a penalty was warranted, the incident appeared to be an honest mistake, warranting a single place grid penalty rather than a harsher sanction.
Wolff Comments on the Situation
In remarks prior to the penalty announcement, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff indicated there was no established precedent for such a scenario. He stated, “It’s a new rule in that sense, and we’re going to see what the stewards say,” and expressed hope that neither driver should suffer due to an error made by the team.
Russell echoed Wolff’s sentiments, remarking that he was unfamiliar with the concept of a provisional restart time. “We were ready and waiting to get the restart time,” Russell noted. “When we saw that timing, we acted on it. It seems extreme to penalize us for that.” He further joked about the unpredictable nature of penalties, citing the absurdity of previous fines imposed for minor issues.
Bahrain GP Schedule
Sunday, April 13
10:50 AM: F3 Feature Race
12:20 PM: F2 Feature Race
2:30 PM: Bahrain GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday
4:00 PM: THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
6:00 PM: Bahrain GP reaction: Chequered Flag
7:00 PM: Ted’s Notebook
For fans, the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend will continue uninterrupted on Sky Sports F1, providing comprehensive coverage of the event.
Source
www.skysports.com