BREAKING:FIA issue DOUBLE punishment for Mercedes F1 star George Russell after C...read more

FIA issue DOUBLE punishment for Mercedes F1 star George Russell after Canadian Grand Prix error.

Mercedes Formula 1 driver George Russell has received two separate penalties during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend after exceeding the pit lane speed limit on two occasions during a session, the FIA has confirmed. The infractions, although minor, occurred early and late in the session, with Russell going just 0.1 km/h and 0.2 km/h over the allowed limit, respectively.

While such small violations are typically viewed as routine and not severe, the FIA enforces a strict policy on pit lane speed to ensure safety. As a result, even minimal breaches like Russell’s are punished with fines—usually around €100 per incident when they occur during practice sessions.

This disciplinary action was issued by a restructured stewarding team. Veteran steward Derek Warwick was removed from the panel overnight following what the FIA described as “unauthorised comments” to the media. He was replaced by former F1 driver Enrique Bernoldi, who is carrying out his stewarding duties remotely from Geneva.

In this case, the FIA maintained consistency with past practices. Although Russell was penalized twice, each instance led to a standard monetary fine rather than any sporting penalty, such as grid drops or time penalties during the race. These fines, as is customary, are expected to be paid by the Mercedes team rather than Russell personally.

It’s worth noting that more extreme cases of pit lane speeding can result in steeper fines or even time penalties. For instance, Sergio Perez once reached 120.6 km/h in the pit lane during the 2021 British Grand Prix—more than 50% over the speed limit. However, even then, the punishment amounted to a €1,000 fine without any sporting consequence.

Russell’s minor infringements in Montreal are part of a broader trend this weekend, as several drivers have reportedly been caught exceeding the pit lane speed limit. Despite the relatively small scale of Russell’s errors, the FIA’s response underscores its commitment to enforcing regulations uniformly, regardless of the circumstances or the driver involved.