Oscar Piastri and George Russell head to the stewards office in Suzuka after a late battle for seventh place.
Russell secured seventh place at the Japanese Grand Prix after a thrilling late-race battle with McLaren's Oscar Piastri, but an incident during the battle caught the attention of FIA stewards.
FIA stewards summon George Russell and Oscar Piastri
With three laps left in the Japanese Grand Prix, Piastri entered the chicane on the back straight and fell out of DRS territory behind sixth place Fernando Alonso.
Russell moved to take advantage of this, making a last-minute change of direction and diving inside Piastri at the chicane. The two were side by side, but the space between them quickly closed, forcing Piastri to retreat and cross the chicane to restart the track.
Piastri was overtaken by Russell soon after and went just wide through the chicane, giving the Mercedes driver a chance.
However, Russell's aggressive behavior towards Piastri was forwarded to the stewards for further investigation, who reported an “alleged violation of Annex L, Chapter IV, Article 2b of the International Sporting Code (car No. 63)”. Both were summoned for this reason. [Russell] forced car 81 [Piastri] I went off the track at Turn 17. ”
The text of the regulation states: “Drivers must not leave the track without a valid reason.
“Multiple changes of direction are not allowed to protect the position.
“Drivers returning to the racing line after defending their position offline must leave at least one car width between their car and the edge of the track on the approach to the corner.
“However, conduct that obstructs other drivers, such as deliberately crowding cars over the edge of a track or making other unusual turns, is strictly prohibited. Any of the above Drivers who are believed to have committed a violation will be reported to a review committee.
The Piastri-Russell incident is one of two incidents being investigated by stewards after the race, with the first-lap collision between Williams' Alex Albon and running back Daniel Ricciardo also under scrutiny.
This article will be updated.
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