Formula One champions Mercedes were fined 20,000 euros (18,036.91 pounds) on Sunday after they fitted the wrong front tyres to George Russell’s leading car at a bungled Sakhir Grand Prix pitstop.
The mistake meant stand-in Russell, replacing Lewis Hamilton after the seven times world champion tested positive for COVID-19 in Bahrain, lost position and risked a post-race disqualification.
Mercedes mistakenly put tyres reserved for team mate Valtteri Bottas onto Russell`s car after both pitted when the safety car was deployed, forcing the Briton to make another stop that dropped him to fifth.
Russell eventually finished ninth after a late slow puncture dealt another blow just as he had moved back up to second and was reeling in Racing Points’s Mexican winner Sergio Perez.
Mercedes were summoned by stewards post-race for the infringement.
The team explained that a radio communications technical issue was to blame, with the pit wall’s message to the pit crew going…