George Russell’s test session, held yesterday in Abu Dhabi, ended well ahead of schedule. At 1pm the message appeared on the race control monitors indicating the stop of the Mercedes number 63 at turn 6, the fastest section of the Yas Marina circuit where you reach over 320 km/h before a strong deceleration that precedes the Entering Turn 7 at 70 km/h.
The red flag confirmed that Russell was stopped on the escape route, but only when the car was recovered and brought back to the pits did it emerge that George had had a violent collision with the external barriers.
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG
Mercedes technicians analyzed the damage and data of the car, and late yesterday evening it emerged that a problem with the braking system was the cause of the off-track exit. The result of the analyzes confirms what was reported by some witnesses present at the accident site, according to whom Russell was unable to slow down the single-seater by deliberately going into the side barriers to slow down the car’s travel as much as possible.
When the Mercedes was brought back to the pits, the sheet placed on the car by the mechanics slipped for a few moments, revealing the front right side of the W14 with the suspension completely torn.
![Russell's Mercedes W14 is brought back to the pits after the scary crash due to lack of brakes](https://cdn-6.motorsport.com/images/mgl/6VRvOEL6/s1000/a-mercedes-f1-w14-is-returned-.jpg)
Photo by: Jake Grant / Motorsport Images
Russell’s Mercedes W14 is brought back to the pits after the scary crash due to lack of brakes
It is very likely that the bodywork was also damaged in the collision, and Russell was immediately informed of this possibility by notifying him that he would never return to the track. George left the circuit shortly after, ending his day with 58 laps completed and what was probably the biggest scare of the entire season.
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