Watch: Russell Desperately Calls For Red Flag After Big Crash

Sunday, 24 March 2024 at 11:40

George Russell had a massive crash on the penultimate lap of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.

The Mercedes F1 driver started the race around Albert Park Circuit from P7. It was clear that Mercedes didn't have the performance to be on the podium, but Russell was fighting for P6 with Fernando Alonso.

The Spanish Matador, who was in P6, struggled with pace in the last couple of laps and got caught by the 25-year-old Mercedes driver.

Russell was in DRS for several laps and was very close to overtaking Alonso on multiple occasions but didn't manage to do so.

As the remaining laps were approaching 0, Russell increased the pressure on the double World Champion. He might get at least one more chance to overtake, but during the race's penultimate lap, he had a big crash in turn number 6.

Read also

Verstappen Reveals Reason Behind His Retirement From Australian Grand Prix

Apparently, on this lap, Alonso braked into this turn more than usual, which caught the Mercedes driver off guard, and he lost control of his car going into the corner.

As a result, he crashed into the wall at the end of the run-off area and was launched back into the middle of the track in turn number 7.

This was especially dangerous because this section of the track isn't visible from behind turn number six, and drivers enter it at high speeds. Russell was very aware of that, as you can see and hear in the video below.

ESPN F1

@ESPNF1

·Follow

George Russell frantically calling for a red flag while he's stranded in the middle of the track is tough to watch 🗣️

Watch on Twitter

371

Read 37 replies

The stewards announced that this incident would be investigated after the session. They summoned both Russell and Alonso to get their perspectives.

As Martin Brundle on Sky Sports suggested during the race, Mercedes might want to look at the incident and see whether the Aston Martin driver didn't intentionally brake-check the 25-year-old.

UPDATE: Alonso received a 20-second penalty, and three points were deducted from his license for "potentially dangerous driving" after the stewards reviewed the incident. As a result, the Spaniard dropped two positions in the final results- from P6 to P8.