Stewards take no action after Russell is flagged for squeezing Leclerc in Austin practice
George Russell was shown a rare black-and-white flag in second practice at the United States Grand Prix after Charles Leclerc ran off the track at Turn 18 while trying to pass. The stewards investigated and took no further action, calling the move not dangerous.
A warning flag in a practice session
Black-and-white flags are uncommon in Friday practice, which is why the incident between George Russell and Charles Leclerc stood out. During second practice at the Circuit of the Americas, race control showed the Mercedes driver the flag for forcing another driver off the track, then referred the matter to the stewards.
The flag is a formal warning rather than a penalty, but the referral meant a closer look. By the end of the session, the case had been closed without any sanction.
What the stewards found
According to the stewards' decision as reported by PlanetF1 and Crash.net, Leclerc tried to pass Russell into Turn 18. Russell moved left, Leclerc went over the kerb, left the track and rejoined ahead of him. The panel reviewed video, team radio and in-car footage and concluded that both cars were on preparation laps and that there was nothing dangerous in the manoeuvre. They also took into account that it happened in a practice session.
Crash.net quoted Sky Sports analyst Anthony Davidson, who pointed to the difference in the cars' power levels as a factor. He said he did not see Russell deliberately pushing Leclerc wide, although he would like to see the footage again. RacingNews365 described the episode as a "bizarre incident".
Where the two drivers stand
The outcome matters mainly for Russell's weekend. A reprimand or grid drop would have added pressure to a driver who, in our OpenF1 data after the Singapore Grand Prix, sits second in the drivers' championship on 236 points behind Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli on 320. Antonelli can win the title in Austin this weekend, so Mercedes has little interest in distractions.
On track, Friday belonged to Leclerc. The Ferrari driver topped first practice by 0.084 s from Max Verstappen and second practice by 0.042 s from Antonelli. Russell ended the day fifth in the combined order.
What comes next
Third practice follows on Saturday at 17:30 UTC, with qualifying later in the day. Practice incidents rarely carry over, so the stewards' no-action ruling means the matter should not affect Sunday's grid.
Sources
Topics: George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Mercedes, Ferrari
