Japanese Grand Prix

George Russell under investigation after Suzuka qualifying incident

Shay Rogers Sunday 7 April 2024 01:00

George Russell during the press conference in Japan

A Mercedes driver is under investigation after qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix following an unsafe release into the path of a rival.

Q3 saw drivers from Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren all locked in a battle to start third behind the dominant Red Bull cars, with Lando Norris coming out on top.

His team-mate – Oscar Piastri, will start sixth for Sunday’s race after just three-tenths separated third and eighth place.

One man who failed to put a lap together completely was George Russell, who ended up nearly one second away from people position, leaving him with a fifth row start for the grand prix in ninth.

Oscar Piastri qualified sixth for the Japanese GP

George Russell will start the Japanese Grand Prix from ninth

What will happen to George Russell?

That may not be the end of his worries either, as he and Piastri have been summoned to the stewards due to an incident during the final qualifying session.

The Brit was released into the path of the McLaren, who was moving down the pit-lane within the usual 80kph speed limit.

The action forced Piastri to brake as the two came within inches of making contact in a very awkward part of the circuit.

In response to the unsafe release, Piastri labelled Russell’s move as ‘very dangerous’ before shifting his focus to his last qualifying run.

Red Bull Mercedes Lando Norris George Russell Oscar Piastri Japanese Grand Prix

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