Russell Reprimanded for Pitlane Incident at Austrian GP Qualifying
Spielberg, Austria – George Russell of Mercedes has received a reprimand from stewards for an infraction during qualifying for the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix. The incident occurred at the start of Q3 when Russell attempted to enter the fast lane of the pitlane without a sufficient gap to approaching cars.
The FIA reported that the British driver had to position his car at an angle that obstructed his view of incoming traffic. In an effort to communicate with his team via radio, Russell inadvertently engaged the clutch prematurely, resulting in the car lurching forward.
Mercedes acknowledged the team’s mishandling of the situation, leading to Russell’s reprimand. The driver commented, “I saw a few drivers pulling out, but then you have a massive blind spot. You can look through but you can only move your head so much.”
As a result of the incident, Russell will commence the race in fifth place, while his teammate, rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, will start in ninth. Russell assessed the qualifying as an optimal performance under the circumstances, acknowledging Lando Norris’s exceptional pole lap and noting, “That was definitely the maximum we could have got.”
This reprimand follows a successful outing for Mercedes at the previous Canadian Grand Prix, where Russell secured his first win of the season and Antonelli achieved his first podium finish in third place. In that race, Russell faced a protest from Red Bull concerning his actions behind a late safety car, but the challenges were dismissed by officials.
Mercedes aims to leverage their recent performance and navigate the challenges posed by the competitive grid in today’s race.
