George Russell and Mercedes pinned for a dangerous garage exit

George Russell received a warning, while Mercedes received an official reprimand after an incident occurred in the pit lane during the Austrian Grand Prix qualifying. The Briton created a perilous situation by trying to join the fast lane without having the necessary space.

The incident in Q3

The events took place during the third qualifying phase. Russell was leaving the Mercedes garage when he attempted to join the fast lane despite insufficient space with the other cars. His W16 ended up in a tricky position, narrowly avoiding a collision with the two Ferraris and partially obstructing his view of the approaching cars.

The situation became complicated when Russell tried to communicate with his team via radio. While searching for the right controls, he inadvertently disengaged the clutch, causing his Mercedes to suddenly lurch forward, which elicited a strong reaction from Max Verstappen, who witnessed the scene and exclaimed “woah” over the radio, surprised by this accidental maneuver.

The commissioners reviewed the video recordings and examined the telemetry data before making a decision. Mercedes took responsibility for the incident, acknowledging that the team could have anticipated and better managed this garage exit.

A complicated session for Mercedes

Russell finished qualifying in fifth place, behind his former teammate Lewis Hamilton, a result he considers optimal given the circumstances. The extreme thermal conditions at the Red Bull Ring highlighted the shortcomings of the Mercedes W16, particularly on this track configuration.

“I don’t think we could have done better,” he commented after the session, before specifying: “We are fully aware of the strengths and weaknesses of our machine. As soon as the temperature rises, on circuits that require grip with fast corners, we lose our advantage to teams like McLaren.”

His teammate Kimi Antonelli also faced difficulties, but the Italian nonetheless managed to climb to tenth position. Both Mercedes drivers narrowly avoided elimination in Q1. Russell avoided the red zone by just a few thousandths, finishing eleventh in this first phase before continuing his qualifying session.

While Mercedes was struggling, McLaren consolidated its dominance over the weekend. Lando Norris clinched pole position with more than five-tenths of a second gap over Charles Leclerc, with Oscar Piastri provisionally completing the podium.

This pole comes at the right time for Norris, who is 22 points behind his teammate Piastri in the overall standings. A victory on Sunday would significantly bolster his championship ambitions.

A warning without direct consequence

The penalty imposed on Russell will not affect his starting position, but it is added to his disciplinary record. Meanwhile, Mercedes receives a reprimand for committing to the fast lane without adequate clearance, a sanction directly targeting the team’s responsibilities in managing garage exits.

Russell will therefore start fifth on Sunday, with the mission of minimizing losses against the competition. Mercedes will rely on its race strategy and potential twists to hope to be among the protagonists on the Spielberg circuit.