McLaren fined for Piastri-Russell pitlane incident in Zandvoort

Emily Nicole

McLaren fined for Piastri-Russell pitlane incident in Zandvoort image

McLaren have been fined €5000 (£4332.32) for a pitlane incident between Oscar Piastri and George Russell. 

It occurred when a second red flag was brought out during Practice 2, as William's Alexander Albon ended up in the barriers at Turn 1. 

Piastri and Russell both headed into the pitlane, but almost collided. 

The Mercedes driver was forced to slam on his breaks as the McLaren swerved into his path. 

It seemed as though the McLaren pitcrew were attempting to get Piastri's car lined up to reverse into the garage, but were not aware of Russell's proximity. 

In the FIA Steward's ruling, they declared the following:

"As Car 81 approached the pit box, the entry was blocked by team personnel pushing a rear jack. Another team member signalled Car 81 to go around him to the next pit area which he did. In doing so, he turned back briefly within the fast lane and thereafter entered the pit box.

"All of this resulted in Car 63 [Russell] having to brake heavily and take evasive action. No collision was caused, however, the situation could have resulted in one. 

"It could also have resulted in injury to one or more team personnel in the pit lane. 

"The team acknowledged that the driver was not warned and also recognised that they could have managed the situation better. We agreed that the team should have taken more care in managing the entry of Car 81 into the pit box."

The fine has been given in accordance with Article 12.2.1.h of the Sporting Regulations, fining the team instead of the driver for the action.

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Emily Nicole

Emily Nicole is a freelance contributor for The Sporting News. Emily is a sports journalist, with a passion for motorsport with professional experience across print, broadcast and social media. Emily holds a Journalism Bachelor’s Degree and a Media & Communications Master’s Degree, both from City, University of London. You can follow more of Emily's work on The F1 Rundown on TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@thef1rundown).