George Russell was uninjured after crashing his Mercedes in a fiery crash on the final lap of the Australian Grand Prix.
The Briton’s car was left wobbling on its side in turns six and seven after it slid across the gravel and hit the barriers at high speed while battling Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
Russell was seen moving freely immediately after the impact, which left debris scattered across the track and forced the race to be completed under the virtual safety car.
Russell’s car was destroyed after crashing into the barriers at high speed while battling Fernando Alonso on the final lap.
The British star and his Spanish rival are being investigated by stewards over the incident, with suspicions that Russell may have been subjected to a brake test by the Aston Martin ace.
Despite the severe impact, Russell was seen moving freely immediately after the accident and emerged from the wreckage unharmed.
Stewards are investigating the incident amid suspicions that the Spaniard may have given the Englishman a brake test.
The accident occurred on the same part of the track where Williams’ Alex Albon crashed heavily during practice, and race winner Carlos Sainz appeared wary of that section when he asked about Russell’s condition after winning the race ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc.
‘You had a big one, didn’t you?’ Sainz said about his rival from Mercedes.
“I said it about this corner, it’s too much.”
Sainz has made a remarkable recovery from surgery to win the dramatic race, after Red Bull superstar Max Verstappen’s attempt to equal his own Formula One record fizzled out.
Two weeks after being ruled out of the Saudi Arabia race due to appendicitis, Sainz took the third victory of his F1 career, and the first at Albert Park.
Carlos Sainz later expressed concern about the section of track where Russell finished his race: the same series of high-speed corners where Alex Albon wrecked his Williams on Friday.
Sainz overcame appendix surgery just two weeks ago to lead his Ferrari teammate in Melbourne and give the Prancing Horse a much-needed one-two finish (pictured).
Russell’s exit capped a disastrous weekend for Mercedes, with teammate Lewis Hamilton also retiring on lap 17 due to engine failure.
The Spaniard took the checkered flag ahead of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, with McLaren’s Lando Norris finishing third.
McLaren’s rising star Oscar Piastri came fourth, continuing the streak of an Australian driver who had never been on the podium in Melbourne.
The race ended under a virtual safety car after Mercedes’ George Russell suffered a serious accident on the final lap.
Verstappen’s attempt to win a 10th consecutive race for the second time in less than 12 months ended after he suffered a fire in his car at the start of Sunday’s race.
After winning the first two races of the season, Verstappen was a big favorite to win back-to-back after winning at Albert Park for the first time last year.
The three-time world champion started from pole, but Sainz, who qualified second, overtook him on the second lap.
The race was blown wide open when Max Verstappen was forced to retire on lap five after his Red Bull caught fire due to right rear brake failure.
The world champion said the brake was “locked” from the start of the race, making it look like he was driving “with the handbrake on.”
Verstappen then started complaining on the team radio about “losing the car.”
Shortly after, smoke appeared at the rear of the 26-year-old’s car and he was forced to pit on lap three, with no hope of returning.
“My right rear brake basically stuck when the lights went out,” Verstappen said.
‘The temperatures (in the car) continued to rise to the point where it caught fire.
‘They (the mechanics) could see what was happening but they don’t know what caused it.
“We had a lot of good races in a row, I knew the day would come when you would end up having a DNF and unfortunately that day was today.”
A mixed relationship with Australia continues for Verstappen, who was forced to retire at the 2022 edition.
Verstappen had won nine consecutive races, dating back to the Japanese Grand Prix last September.
Sainz was the last driver, in Singapore last September, apart from Verstappen, to win an F1 race.
Victory at Albert Park would have put Verstappen level with his own record, set with his 10 consecutive wins from Miami to Monza last year.
Britain’s Lando Norris (right) is seen spraying Sainz with champagne after finishing third.
The victory was the third of Sainz’s career and comes after the shocking news that Hamilton will replace him in the Italian team next year.
Verstappen won 19 races last season, the most in F1 history, on his way to a third consecutive title to completely dominate the rest of the championship.
The Dutchman had also converted his last 18 pole positions into a victory.
Verstappen wasn’t the only big name to suffer mechanical problems, as seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was forced to drop back on lap 17.
Hamilton, who started 11th after his worst qualifying session at Albert Park since 2010, headed to the garage for another disappointing race in his final season with Mercedes before switching to Ferrari next year.
It was the first time that Verstappen and Hamilton, F1’s two most successful drivers of the last decade, had retired from the same race due to mechanical failures.
Australian veteran Daniel Ricciardo, who missed last year’s Melbourne race, finished 12th for his new team, RB.