Stewards take no action against Russell over Piastri chicane incident · RaceFans

Japanese Grand Prix stewards have taken no further action against George Russell for allegedly forcing Oscar Piastri off the track.

The two previous Formula 2 champions were battling over seventh place late in the race when Russell attempted to pass the McLaren into the final chicane.

Russell attempted to out-brake Piastri and the pair reached the first right-hand apex of the chicane before the McLaren left the track and cut the second left-hander, rejoining still ahead of the Mercedes. The stewards immediately noted the incident before announcing it would be investigated after the race.

Piastri claimed to his team over the radio that Russell “didn’t give me anywhere to go at the chicane, so I had to cut.” Russell eventually claimed the place along the pit straight at the start of the final lap.

After investigating, the stewards determined over two hours after the chequered flag that no further action was necessary against either driver for the incident. However, they said the matter had “provided a number of challenges” in determining their decision.

The stewards felt that Russell did not “dive in” to the chicane, was “in control at the entry” of the corner and was sufficiently alongside the McLaren to be entitled to space at the corner. However, photographic evidence from McLaren led the stewards to determine that the pair made minor contact in the middle of the chicane, prompting Piastri to abandon the left-hander of the chicane to avoid “risking another collision with perhaps more serious consequences”, despite the stewards determining that Russell had left “sufficient room” for the McLaren driver to take the rest of the corner.

Both Russell and Piastri and their teams agreed that the incident “did not warrant the imposition of any penalty”, however the stewards insisted that this was not a factor in their decision to take no action.

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The stewards also noted that the driving standards guidelines issued to them, which were updated by the FIA prior to the 2024 season, do not outline what the expected actions of a driver who retains their position after leaving the track due to a collision or in avoidance of one should be.

Japanese Grand Prix stewards’ decision

This incident provided a number of challenges in arriving at a decision.

There are a number of matters that, based on the “level of comfort” criteria used by the International Court of Appeal in accepting evidence, we…