Russell's power unit failure at Malaysian GP leaves title deficit at 84 points

George Russell’s Formula 1 title hopes took another severe blow at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Sunday, when a power unit failure retired the Mercedes driver from a near-certain podium finish at Sepang, leaving him 84 points behind championship leader and team-mate Kimi Antonelli.

Starting seventh on a damp grid, Russell made the correct call on intermediate tyres and launched from the line to run second behind Antonelli into Turn 1. Max Verstappen passed him on lap six, but a safety car restart gave Russell the opportunity to sweep past Antonelli around the outside of Turn 5 and briefly lead the race — only for the Italian to reclaim second place eight laps later.

With the top three stable, a late safety car offered Russell one final chance to challenge for victory. He never got to take it. A power unit failure struck before the final restart, marking his third retirement of the season and his second purely technical DNF.

“I mean, you’ve almost got to laugh,” Russell told media after the race. “It’s beyond disappointment. It’s just, so many times this season it’s happened. Of course, it’s a real shame, but… just keep on fighting.”

Russell acknowledged the podium had looked all but guaranteed. “Solid race, not amazing race, but solid race,” he said. “Not the first time, so I’m pretty used to this feeling.”

On the title picture, the Briton stopped short of conceding the championship outright but left little room for optimism. “I don’t need to say I think it’s gone or whatever. But, of course, it’s exceptionally unlikely, and that’s just the reality,” he said. “I knew if I wanted to come back I needed luck on my side. Unfortunately, I’ve had luck not on my side. A three-point loss today being behind Kimi turned into an 18-point loss.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was equally downbeat, describing the race as one of his “worst experiences” personally. “I’m so massively annoyed. I’m not in a happy place,” Wolff said, adding that the team lacked the pace they had anticipated as Red Bull claimed their first victory of the season over the Silver Arrows.