George Russell left fuming by ‘unbelievable’ Japanese GP crash | F1 | Sport
George Russell was left fuming during the Japanese Grand Prix as the Mercedes driver missed out on a podium finish. Russell finished in fourth place in Suzuka with his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, winning the race to take the lead in the Driver’s Championship after three races.
Russell had started in P2 on the grid, with Antonelli leading the way, but fell back to fourth as he added 12 points to his total for the Driver’s Championship.
Oscar Piastri of McLaren finished second to get his first points on the board after not finishing either of the first two races in Melbourne and Shanghai, while Charles Leclerc of Ferrari completed the podium in third.
The race in Japan saw Haas driver Oliver Bearman receive treatment after a horrific crash, which saw the 20-year-old collide with the barrier on lap 21.
Bearman was seen limping as he called for aid from two marshals on the side of the track. The Haas driver was later taken to the medical centre for further treatment, and Express Sport have reported that X-rays had shown no fractures suffered, only a contusion to his right knee.
The crash resulted in the safety car being deployed on the track on lap 21, with the green flags being given on lap 28. Antonelli was able to take the lead and take advantage of the timing of the safety car, having not gone into the pit lane at the time of the crash.
Russell had already stopped to pit to change tyres, with the Mercedes driver dropping into fourth place after being overtaken by Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari.
This led to Russell expressing his frustration over the Mercedes team radio during the race.
“Unbelievable. Wow, f***, our luck in these last two races,” Russell said over the team radio.
Ruseell had finished on the podium in each of the first two races of the year, with a victory in Australia being followed by a second-place finish to Antonelli in China earlier this month.
The result in Japan means that Antonelli now leads the Driver’s Championship on 72 points after three races, and at the age of 19, is the youngest driver to lead the standings at any one time in the history of Formula 1.
Russell, after his fourth-place finish, is second on 63 points while Leclerc is third on 49 and Hamilton is eight points further back in fourth.
There will now be a lengthy break to the next race of the F1 calendar, with the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grand Prix originally scheduled for next month both cancelled. The Miami Grand Prix is next on the agenda, taking place in Florida on May 3.
