After the FIA opened a post-race investigation into the incident, George Russell referred to the ‘bizarre’ crash he suffered on the final lap of the Australian Grand Prix. While battling Fernando Alonso for sixth place, the Mercedes ace smashed into the barriers at high speed.
The race ended under the virtual safety car. It denoted a sad outcome for Mercedes, who neglected to procure a solitary point in Australia with Lewis Hamilton likewise resigning because of a mechanical issue.
Alonso explained in a post-race interview that Russell was behind him at the time of the last-lap incident because he was dealing with a battery issue.
The Spaniard stated, “I was concentrating in front of me rather than behind me.” “I was managing battery issues, and I focused on cars ahead of me rather than behind them.
I observed damage to the vehicle and learned that he is fine. In general, my race was not easy in terms of pace.” Russell was then asked what he thought, and he said that Alonso surprised him by braking much earlier than usual.
However, he accepted full responsibility for losing his car’s rear end and did not accuse his rival of anything malicious. Russell stated, “My take is I’ve gone off and that’s on me.”
However, “I was just a fraction of a second behind Fernando 100 meters before the corner, and suddenly he came towards me extremely quickly and I was right on his gearbox.” “I couldn’t say whether he has an issue [with the car] or not. We’re headed toward the stewards so that is a piece odd in a situation like this.
I have nothing more to say at the present time, I really want to see all that and I’m somewhat disheartened with the race.” Inquired as to whether he suspected Alonso had brake-tried him, Russell added: “Obviously he slowed down 100 meters before the corner and afterward backpedaled on the choke once more and took the corner regularly.
We already have access to the relevant data. I was right behind him for a lot of laps, but I won’t say anything about him until we see more. “I was a portion of a second behind him moving toward the corner and out of nowhere he eased back up emphatically and backpedaled on the power.
I wasn’t expecting it and it got me off guard. That part is on me yet fascinating we’ve been called to the stewards.”