FIA Clarifies Decision on Russell and Leclerc Practice Incident
The FIA chose not to penalize George Russell after a practice incident with Charles Leclerc at the US Grand Prix. The stewards determined there was no danger in the maneuver, which occurred during a practice session.
The FIA stewards have decided not to take further action against George Russell after an incident involving Charles Leclerc during practice at the United States Grand Prix. The investigation looked into whether Russell had forced Leclerc off the track. However, the stewards concluded that the maneuver was not dangerous and noted that it took place during a practice session.
The incident occurred in the second hour of practice at the Circuit of The Americas. Leclerc attempted to pass Russell through Turn 18, resulting in the Ferrari driver going over the kerb as he tried to find space around the Mercedes. Russell was initially given a black and white warning flag for the incident, which later led to an investigation by the FIA stewards. Ultimately, no further action was taken.
The stewards' document explained their decision: "The stewards reviewed video, team radio, and in-car video evidence. Car 16 attempted to pass Car 63 into Turn 18. Car 63 moved to the left. Car 16 left the track and rejoined in front of Car 63. Both cars were on preparation laps. The stewards considered that there was nothing dangerous in the maneuver and took into account the fact that this was in a Free Practice session."
Leclerc set the pace in both practice sessions on Friday, narrowly edging out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in FP1 and leading Kimi Antonelli, Russell’s Mercedes teammate, by a small margin in FP2. Antonelli has a shot at securing his first world championship in Austin, depending on how results play out.
Russell ended the day in fifth, having had his initial fast lap invalidated for track limits, and his subsequent attempt was disrupted by a moment through the esses. Both Mercedes drivers are using the upgraded W17 in Austin, following a test of the older spec in Singapore.
Russell commented on the day: "It’s been a useful day for us on track as we continue to build our knowledge around our update package. While the car wasn’t ideal in FP1, we made good improvements for FP2. There is still more work to do, especially given how strong some of the other teams looked today. I didn’t get the most out of the single-lap running either; I lost one lap to track limits and then had a big moment in sector one on the next, so there was more performance there. We’ll work hard overnight and see what we can find ahead of tomorrow. The margins between the top four teams are small, so getting into the fight will require both car improvements and strong execution in qualifying and the race."