F1 News
FIA pass judgement on Russell and Piastri incident: This is the penalty!
At the start of qualifying in Japan, an incident took place between George Russell and Oscar Piastri. Russell tried to quickly push his Mercedes between the row in the pit lane, forcing Piastri to slam on his brakes. Both drivers had to report, and the penalty has since been announced.
Russell and Piastri have to report to stewards
Due to the rule that drivers are no longer allowed to stop at the end of the pit lane, drivers drive incredibly slowly towards the track. This creates a traffic jam and several drivers are only too eager to get between them. George Russell was one of the drivers eager to get between them. This only did not happen completely safely, as Piastri had to slam on his brakes. The incident involving Russell and Piastri will be investigated by the stewards for this after qualifying. It was thus an unsafe release.
Penalty handed out by the FIA
Mercedes have received a penalty for the offence Russell committed during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix. The constructor must pay €5,000 as a fine. Russell stated to the stewards that he had not seen Piastri in the pit lane and that is why he drove near him, which almost ended in a collision. Investigations revealed that Russell had not checked whether it was clear in the pit lane. It is a fine for Mercedes, therefore.