As the Bahrain Grand Prix unfolded and George Russell raced in second place, messages slowly came through on his radio that different systems were failing. Team principal Toto Wolff put it simply: “The car was wounded.

George Russell had to overcome numerous obstacles to hold on to second in the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix. He had to keep a hard-charging Lando Norris at bay over the closing laps. He needed to make a 25-lap stint on a set of soft tires work despite high levels of tire degradation.

Oscar Piastri took a dominant victory in Bahrain to close to within three points of McLaren team mate Lando Norris at the top of the drivers’ championship.