Russell and Alonso Under Scrutiny: Unusual F1 Australian GP Incident Sparks Investigation.
Following a “bizarre” incident on the penultimate lap of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso, George Russell, and the Mercedes driver will face the FIA stewards.
Having pitted later and with the advantage of newer tires, Russell was catching up to Alonso as the two battled for sixth place in the final stages of the Albert Park race.
Turn 6 was approaching when Russell seemed to unexpectedly catch up to the Aston Martin in front, which caused his Mercedes to become unsteady, send him over the gravel, and send him crashing hard into the wall.
The FIA medical team examined Russell, and he has stated that he is fine. The stewards launched an investigation into the event during the race.
Although Russell refrained from accusing Alonso of any wrongdoing in an interview with Sky Sports F1, he thought the situation was “bizarre.”.
“My take is that I have gone off, and that is on me, but I was half a second behind Fernando 100 meters before the corner, and then suddenly he came towards me extremely quickly, and I was right in his gearbox,” Russell explained.
“I am not sure if he is experiencing problems or not. That seems a little strange in this situation, as we are heading to see the stewards. I am sad to see the race come to an end, but I have nothing else to say at this time. I need to see everything.
“I won’t charge him anything until we have further information—we’ve already seen the statistics on that.
But after following him closely for a good number of circuits, as we approached the turn, he abruptly slowed down and regained speed.
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It surprised me because I hadn’t anticipated it. That is my responsibility, but it’s fascinating that we were brought before the stewards, so I’m curious to hear what they have to say.”
He describes an issue with the Aston Martin, which is corroborated by onboard video and radio transmissions from Alonso’s vehicle during the race.
After questioning the crew if he runs the danger of “damaging the engine” by heading back to the pits, he cruises into the pitlane in neutral at the finish of the race. The onboard video reveals strange juddering and strange noises, and he is always warning the crew about anything strange happening with the throttle.