Russell penalized again in Brazil
This is the second consecutive sprint weekend in which George Russell has been penalized for impeding another driver. The British driver has been found guilty of an incident involving Pierre Gasly.
The weekend that George Russell is experiencing in Sao Paulo is very different from the one he had last year. Starting from pole position, the former Williams driver managed to impress the Brazilian crowd in 2022 by securing his first Formula 1 victory, and the first for Mercedes this season. Today, in qualifying, he couldn’t do any better than 6th place and never seemed to be a serious contender for pole position.
« Pénalité pour M. Russell »
After the troubles in Mexico, where the drivers confused the pit exit line with a parking spot, the FIA decided in Brazil to prohibit any slowing down in the pit lane. Instead, they are allowed to slow down between the exit light and the safety car line. F1 observers suspected it, this new rule did not eliminate the traffic jams. These excessive slowdowns continued to annoy several drivers in qualifying. Among them, Pierre Gasly complained on the radio about the dangerousness of George Russell in Q1.
Launched on the exit path of the pit lane, a winding and narrow area, Pierre Gasly had to brake and put two wheels on the grass to avoid colliding with the Mercedes. The latter was almost at a standstill in a location where the barriers provide poor visibility. The winner of the last edition of the Brazilian Grand Prix was therefore penalized with a two-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race for being too slow and not leaving enough space for the Frenchman.
Author of the 6th fastest time, this penalty pushes the British driver back to 8th position. A decision that benefits Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, who easily gain one position on the grid.
This is the second time after the Sprint Qualifying in Austin, where Leclerc calmly requested a penalty for Mr. Russell over the radio, that the British driver finds himself moved back on the grid. This time for Sunday’s race and not for Saturday’s.
