George Russell in Hungary

'Scared' Russell reacts to pitlane incident with Piastri in Dutch GP

19:46, 29 Aug

Updated: 20:17, 29 Aug

byTobia Elia

George Russell commented on the odd incident that saw him unintentionally involved with Oscar Piastri in the pit lane during FP2 at the Zandvoort GP, an episode that later prompted the stewards to open an investigation.

A misunderstanding in the pit lane nearly compromised Oscar Piastri’s Dutch weekend. During the second session, following the red flag triggered by Alexander Albon, the drivers were forced to return to the pits so the marshals could clear debris from the track.

However, the Australian briefly entered the lane reserved for his teammate before realizing the mistake. In doing so, he inadvertently created a dangerous moment with George Russell.

The Mercedes driver, approaching from behind, was forced to swerve quickly to avoid a collision, though the two still made slight contact. The FIA later decided to investigate the incident, handing McLaren a €5,000 fine for dangerous driving behavior.

Russell got 'scared' in pitlane incident with Piastri

Speaking about the pit-lane incident with the Australian at the end of the day, Russell said: “I think he pulled in too early then pulled back out. A bit unfortunate.''

“It scared me a bit. When you’re on track, you’re ready for anything but when you’re in the pit lane going relatively slow, you’re chilling out then suddenly ‘geez!’ and it caught me out by surprise.”

Both drivers were able to continue the session without issues, with Russell finishing the day fourth, nearly four tenths behind the leader, Lando Norris.

Piastri ended up third, less than a tenth behind his teammate, but still behind a strong Fernando Alonso, who once again looked competitive following his excellent weekend in Hungary.