Palmer on Russell and the art of crashing behind the Safety car

As silly as the crash of George Russell behind the Safety car looked at Imola, it happens easier than you might think, especially in certain circumstances, explains former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer in his analysis on Formula1.com.

If you drive on a cold track with cold tyres, Formula 1 cars can start to slide across the track, as Russell has found out by now. Palmer defends the Brit by stating that he won't be the first, and certainly not the last, to learn this lesson.

“Crashing out from behind the Safety Car is a cardinal sin in Formula 1, particularly if you are running in the top 10 and have never previously scored a point, but it’s actually far easier to do than anyone watching on could imagine, and that is why we do see it from time to time.” Palmer here refers to Grosjean’s infamous crash behind the Safety car in 2018, among others.

Palmer nevertheless defends the talents of Russell, saying: “There’s no doubt he is an immensely talented young driver though, and he can cope with the pressure, as we’ve seen time and time again in the dying embers of Q1 on Saturdays.”