“Dynamics of every single incident is different,” George Russell not happy with 5-second penalty in Austria
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George Russell
George Russell the Mercedes Formula One driver after the Austrian Grand Prix has given brief details into what exactly happened been him and Sergio Perez on the first lap of the race and how he disagrees with the 5 seconds time penalty that was imposed on him for making contact with the Mexican.
Ahead of the 2022 season, the FIA came up with new guidelines regarding overtaking around the apex and how cars should position themselves in order to avoid collisions.
As per the new guideline, a driver trying to make a move on the outside must be left with significant room if he is ahead of the car on the inside. In Russell and Perez’s case, the same thing happened but unfortunately, they both collided as the young Brit felt he had nowhere to go after Perez braked late into the corner.
The 23-year-old agreed with the penalty according to the ruling but suggested that the dynamics during a race are always changing and under such circumstances, the rules get thrown out of the window.
George Russell while stressing about his collision with the Mexican said, “Every single incident is different, the dynamics of every single incident is different.”
“The fact was, Checo was on my outside, and I needed to leave him space, but if he puts me in a position when I’m already at the limit of my car, and somebody turns in who has more grip, there’s nowhere I can go.”
“From the second I braked, I was on the limit of my car and there’s nothing more that I can do.”
“But he was in the clean air, Carlos [Sainz] was on the inside defending [ahead of Russell].”
“He’s got a lot of experience, he knows how this goes.“
“From a stewarding perspective, it’s so difficult. We’re all looking for consistency but we don’t want penalties dished out left, right and center.”
“We need to be working closely together for us all to be on the same page.”
George Russell: Drivers are frustrated with the inconsistency in the decision making
George Russell is the director of the Grand Prix Drivers Association and has many times already shed light on how exasperated the drivers are with the inconsistent decision-making that has been done so far in the season.
Drivers in Silverstone felt that many of them were forced off the track and Perez even cut a corner to gain a position but nothing significant was done by F1 regarding the incidents, however, during the Austrian adventure, penalties were thrown out left and right for various violations on part of the drivers.
Toto Wolff was also asked to state his opinion on Russell’s contact with Perez and the German said, “Obviously I’m very biased but I wouldn’t have called it [Russell’s fault].”
“He had full steering lock on the inside, and I wouldn’t have penalized that.”
“I tried to have a neutral perspective, but maybe if I’m on the other side of the fence, I see it differently.”
While George Russell felt that Sergio Perez was in the wrong for making contact with him, the 32-year-old Mexican saw it differently and blamed the Brit for the incident that could have been avoided.
Sergio Perez while stating his perspective on the incident said, “I was clearly ahead, it was up to George to really control his car, which he clearly couldn’t.”
“And we ended up making contact. There was nothing else I could have done.“
“I gave him enough room, I was already very close to the gravel to make sure we had enough room for both of us to make the corner.”
“For the standards of George, I’m very surprised.”
After looking at all that has been said by the two drivers, one thing that can be assumed for certain is the fact that it is very hard to come up with a definitive ruling regarding overtaking incidents as the dynamics are different on every track.
From Austria, the extravaganza is now going to move to Paul Ricard in France where the track is completely different, and given the agitation of drivers at the Red Bull Ring, it is going to be fascinating to see how the FIA deals with incidents there.
Also Read: “That was unnecessary,” Helmut Marko criticizes Sergio Perez for unwanted maneuver on George Russell
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)