At the end of qualifying held yesterday at the Interlagos circuit, George Russell, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were penalized by two positions on the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix. The college of sports commissioners sanctioned them because “they proceeded slowly towards the exit of the pits without staying as far to the left as possible”.
The FIA had communicated on the eve of the weekend that it would allow drivers to slow down in the exit lane from the pits but only on the condition that they stay on the left side of the track, leaving room for cars arriving behind them.
In the Q1 session Russell slowed down, but without moving to the left side of the exit lane, ending up obstructing the oncoming Gasly, who immediately complained to the team via radio, reporting the problem.
Russell stumbled upon the specific clause communicated by the FIA in the pre-race notes, which specified that “In order to avoid situations such as those which occurred in Mexico, it is permitted to proceed slowly at the pit exit to create space before crossing the SC2 line, provided that the driver remains as far to the left as possible to allow other drivers to pass on the right side”.
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60, Pierre Gasly, Alpine A523, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23
“Russell did not stay completely on the left – explained the stewards – consequently the cars following were not able to overtake him. This clearly violates the wording and spirit of point 14 of the Race Director’s Event Notes.”
The stewards then discovered that both Ocon and Gasly (both behind Russell) behaved exactly like the Mercedes driver by obstructing Sergio Perez, thus incurring the same sanction. The two penalty positions relegate Russell from sixth to eighth place (making Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz gain a position), while Ocon and Gasly slip to fourteenth and fifteenth position respectively.
#Russell #Ocon #Gasly #penalized #impeding #Interlagos