Russell was 'surprised by Alonso' crash: 'He braked, accelerated, braked'

"I was just really caught by surprise from Fernando. I was half a second behind. He hit the brakes, went on the gas, hit the brakes. I think he had a problem or something, or he said he had a problem. I was caught by surprise, lost the rear, ran wide and then suddenly hit the wall. It was a much bigger impact than it should have been. Disappointed to finish that way," Russell said.

Alonso has been summoned by the stewards to come and explain the incident. Indeed, onboard footage shows that the 42-year-old Spaniard Alonso did indeed go off the throttle considerably as he approached turn six, considerably more than he did the lap before. It is therefore possible that this was a braking test.

However, Alonso already reported on his radio that he was having problems with his throttle and that he could not go full throttle, so possibly there are extenuating circumstances. The stewards' verdict is due within hours.