FIA announce Russell punishment verdict after 'Mexican stand-off' at Austrian Grand Prix

The FIA have announced a penalty verdict after the stewards placed George Russell under investigation at the Austrian Grand Prix.

At the beginning of Q3, Russell was released from his garage prematurely and he was almost sent into the path of both Ferraris.

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After qualifying, the stewards reviewed the incident and launched an investigation into Russell for the move, which they described as 'entering the fast lane without a suitable gap.'

However, Russell and Mercedes have been given a reprimand from the stewards, with the team admitting that they could have done a better job at communicating with their driver.

Russell explained that he tried to radio the team but accidentally slipped the clutch, causing his car to jump forward and therefore entering the fast lane in a way that could have been perceived as dangerous.

"In F1 you always have a blind spot so you can't see your mirrors, so you are relying on information," Russell said to Sky Sports F1 after qualifying.

"Everyone comes out so it's like a Mexican stand-off. There is only so much you can do. So there won't be any issues."

Will Russell receive a penalty at Austrian Grand Prix?

Whilst Russell's incident only resulted in a reprimand, a punishment for an unsafe release has been given both to the team and driver before.

At the 2024 Japanese GP, Russell was unsafely released into the path of Oscar Piastri during qualifying with the stewards instead punishing Mercedes

The team received a €5,000 fine after the stewards deemed it to be the fault of the mechanic.

Elsewhere, and in more severe cases, drivers have been given grid drops or time penalties, particularly if the unsafe release caused a collision with another driver, for example Kimi Antonelli at the Australian GP.

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