George Russell was hunting Fernando Alonso down late in the Australian Grand Prix when he lost control of his Mercedes and crashed out, his Mercedes flipping onto its side
George Russell was involved in a spectacular crash towards the end of the Australian Grand Prix, which resulted in his Mercedes flipping onto its side.
Russell was pursuing Fernando Alonso towards the end of the race in an attempt to earn additional points on a difficult day for his team.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when he lost control of his car and collided with the barrier. The Mercedes was pushed into the gravel trap and then flipped onto its side when the wheels, still tethered, went under the chassis and lifted it off the ground.
Fortunately, the Briton reported over the radio that he was okay. He was quickly picked up by the medical car and taken to be examined to make sure no lasting damage had been done.
But it had already hurt Mercedes as the handful of points that they were set to take from the race disappeared. The Silver Arrows will leave Melbourne empty-handed after Lewis Hamilton retired from the race early on with an engine problem.
And there was another high-profile retiree when Max Verstappen suffered a brake fire. The flames melted his tyre and rear-right corner just a few laps into the race, forcing him to pull into the pit lane and get out of his car.
It left the path clear for Carlos Sainz, who had already taken an early lead, to establish control of the Grand Prix. And he did exactly that, managing his pace to take victory on his return to action, just two weeks on from surgery to remove his appendix.
Ferrari had a memorable day by achieving a one-two finish in Verstappen’s absence. Charles Leclerc finished in second place, followed by a happy Lando Norris on the podium.
Verstappen explained the reason for his early race exit, stating that the right-rear brake got stuck as soon as the lights went off. This caused increasing damage and made it feel like he was driving with the handbrake on, resulting in the car feeling strange and unpredictable in certain corners.
During the warm-up lap, the car was performing perfectly and I was pleased with our progress. However, having a brake stuck on was a hindrance.
It is currently too soon to determine the exact cause of the issue as it will require further investigation.