In which position will George Russell start at Brazilian GP following pit lane infringement penalty?

In the world of Formula One, the relentless pursuit of excellence is a way of life for every driver. Only a few teams manage to achieve a consistent trail of success over the years, with one of them being Mercedes. They have secured multiple constructors’ and drivers’ championships year after year, captivating the hearts of F1 enthusiasts all over the world.

Mercedes’s main driver is the exceptional ex-F1 champion, Lewis Hamilton. As his teammate, George has to work twice as hard to make his presence known and valuable to the audience watching the show. However, recently, all his efforts went unrewarded as he was penalized at the Brazilian GP.

In which position will George Russell start at Brazilian GP?

George Russell faced a significant penalty at the Brazilian Grand Prix following a Q3 qualifying segment, causing him to drop from sixth to eighth position. During Q1, the British driver was slowly exiting the pitlane in Q1, moving down the pit lane to create a gap for drivers in the front. Pierre Gasly, the Alpine driver, became severely frustrated with Russell’s behavior, complaining over the team radio about it.

The FIA introduced a rule for this weekend that stated that drivers could create a gap when coming out of their pits after they had blocked the pits last week in Mexico. However, they also specified that the cars stay to the left to allow more space for the cars to pass through. Clearly, Russell broke this agreement, which resulted in him facing a two-grid penalty. The British driver also criticized the FIA’s “obscene” million-dollar fine cap for F1 drivers.

The verdict stated: “To avoid situations like the ones that occurred in Mexico, the Race Director’s Event Notes for this event contained a specific clause (item 14) stipulating that it was permitted to go slow in the pit exit to create a gap before crossing the SC2 line. However, by doing so, a driver must stay as far to the left as possible to allow other drivers to pass on the right side.

“RUS was exiting the pits, preparing for an out-lap. RUS went slow to create a gap for a clear lap, but did not manage to stay completely to the left.

“As a result, following car(s) were not able to overtake, as intended by the Race director’s instructions. This violates the wording and the spirit of item 14 of the Race Director’s Event Notes.”

Which other drivers received penalties?

Later on, the stewards found out that other drivers, including Gasly, who had been complaining and Ocon, took the same action as Russell as they were behind him.

Consequently, both of them were handed over a two-grid penalty as well, which dropped Ocon and Gasly to the 14th and 15th positions, respectively.

Do you think the FIA was fair to the three drivers? Let us know in the comment section below.