George Russell has been handed a reprimand by the stewards after a minor prang with Arvid Lindblad in FP2 for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver was investigated by race control after a miscommunication saw him make contact with the Racing Bulls driver, who is making his debut this weekend.
At the start of the session, Russell, looking to get into the faster lane in the pit lane, encountered the 18-year-old, who began to up his speed as Russell looked to edge forward.
The incident, which resulted in front wing damage to the W17, was referred to the stewards, who concluded that Russell breached Appendix L, Chapter IV of Article 5b of the International Sporting Code, but that a reprimand was the only course of action.
The stewards’ subsequently published wrote that Lindblad “had priority” over Russell, and would have been free to have worked his way into the fast lane “If there [was] a suitable gap in a queue of cars in the fast lane,” but stated “there was no such gap”.
“Car 63 left the garage and was waiting to join the fast lane. Car 63 inched forward, as if to join the fast lane and then stopped slightly ahead of Car 41, with a small portion of Car 63 jutting into the fast lane,” the stewards’ document wrote afterwards.
It was not the only incident for which Russell was investigated, as the stewards took umbrage with a practice start “outside a designated practice area”.
Russell told stewards that he was unable to fully see the grid box due to the sun obscuring his view, but was nevertheless handed a warning for the infringement.
The Brit is favourite to take the championship this year, with Mercedes touted as possessing the fastest car after pre-season testing.
After finishing seventh in FP1, around a second behind Charles Leclerc’s fastest time, Russell was third in FP2, three tenths behind Oscar Piastri, and one tenth behind team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
READ MORE – F1 2026 Australian Grand Prix – FP2 results