George Russell and.... SUMMONED for alleged Azerbaijan GP qualifying....

George Russell and…. SUMMONED for alleged Azerbaijan GP qualifying….read more

George Russell has received a reprimand from the FIA for allegedly failing to slow for yellow flags during Q1 of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying session. The Mercedes driver, who qualified fifth, retains his grid position following an investigation into the incident. The inquiry, which involved Russell and a Mercedes representative, took place at 7:30 PM local time (4:30 PM BST) after qualifying concluded at the Baku City Circuit.

The incident in question occurred 10 minutes into the first qualifying session (Q1), when Carlos Sainz ran into the runoff area at Turn 2, triggering yellow flags. Russell, who was the next driver on track, was found to be in a situation where the stewards believed he had little to no opportunity to react to the warning flags. As a result, the stewards determined that a reprimand, rather than a grid penalty, was the appropriate sanction for Russell’s actions.

The FIA’s decision was guided by the specific circumstances of Russell’s situation. In their statement, the stewards noted similarities between this incident and another involving Charles Leclerc earlier in the weekend, although key differences were highlighted.

“This was a very similar case to the decision of this panel of Stewards regarding Charles Leclerc, with some important differences,” the stewards explained in their verdict. They detailed that Russell was fully committed to his braking and already turning into the corner when the yellow flag was displayed. The flag was located on the far right side of the runoff area, making it difficult for Russell to spot, especially given his position on the track at that moment.

The stewards went on to state that, even if Russell had seen the yellow flag, there would have been no way for him to modify his braking or react in time to avoid potentially violating the flag regulations. Once Russell rounded the corner, he began to accelerate normally. However, unlike Leclerc, Russell had limited visibility of the illuminated green light panel between Turn 2 and Turn 3 due to its greater distance down the track. This panel signals the end of the yellow flag zone, and although it was more difficult for Russell to see, he did eventually spot the green light.

Additionally, the stewards pointed out that Russell’s lap was slowed due to the automatic deactivation of the DRS system in the yellow flag zone, which further mitigated the situation. These factors contributed to the stewards’ decision to issue a reprimand rather than a more severe penalty, such as a grid drop.

“In this limited set of circumstances, in particular that the yellow flag could not have been seen, the Stewards order a Driving Reprimand rather than a more serious penalty,” the verdict read. The stewards also recommended that this issue be discussed further in the next Drivers’ meeting to provide additional clarity on similar situations moving forward. Importantly, they emphasized that this decision should not set a binding precedent for future incidents involving yellow flags.

The stewards concluded that there were several mitigating factors in Russell’s case, with the timing of the flag display and his inability to react swiftly playing a key role in their final decision. This marked a more lenient stance compared to Leclerc’s case, but both incidents shared complexities that required the stewards to carefully weigh the consequences.

Reflecting on the session, Russell expressed satisfaction with his qualifying performance. Speaking to reporters after the session, he noted that fifth place was a fair result given Mercedes’ form during the weekend.

“We thought after FP3 realistically [we could qualify] P4,” Russell said, referencing the team’s pace earlier in the weekend. He acknowledged that Mercedes may have appeared more competitive than expected in practice due to running with lower fuel levels and higher power settings compared to other teams. Despite this, he felt that the fifth-place result in qualifying was reflective of the car’s performance on Saturday.

Russell is set to start from the third row of the grid for Sunday’s race in Baku, where he will be aiming for a strong finish. While the reprimand will not affect his starting position, the incident has sparked further discussion about how yellow flag situations are handled in Formula 1, with drivers and teams alike looking for more consistency in how such incidents are managed.