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Mercedes technical director James Allison has come out in support of George Russell's panicked calls for a red flag immediately after his crash in Australia. The young driver was involved in a late-race battle with Fernando Alonso. The British driver was caught out when the Spaniard braked a lot earlier, which led to Russell losing control of his car.
After crashing into the barriers, the Mercedes rolled onto the track and Russell was stuck in the car. It was during this moment that the driver shouted frantically on the team radio, "Red Flag, Red Flag". Talking about the moment from the driver, Allison backed the driver's actions.
In the team’s latest debrief video, Allison said that since the car was right in the middle of the track, Russell was left feeling very vulnerable. He said:
“Everyone who was watching the race will have heard George's frantic radio calls calling for a red flag. What George was feeling was incredibly vulnerable. He knew he was in the middle of the track. He knew he was in a very fast part of the track with corners that may have unsighted anyone approaching him and he was sort of positioned in such a way as he couldn't see any of the oncoming stuff, but he knew there were hurtling cars headed his way."
He added:
"An incredibly vulnerable position to be in and that was the distress you heard from him, that vulnerability. What he couldn't know was how swiftly race control reacted to it, how swiftly the yellow flags came out, how quickly it went to a virtual safety car and actually I think a very good response from the whole marshalling system to make sure that he was protected in what was a very vulnerable position."
Mercedes driver talks about the crash in Melbourne
Mercedes driver George Russell talked about the crash post-race, where he raised his hand and said that he was caught off-guard. The incident happened when Fernando Alonso braked 100 meters earlier than usual, which led to a drastic reduction of the gap between the two.
Russell admitted that he was caught off guard when the gap between the Mercedes driver and the Aston Martin driver decreased drastically. Russell did raise his hand and say that the crash was on him regardless. He said:
"I'm not going to accuse him of anything until we see further. I was right behind him for many, many laps. I was half a second behind him before the corner.
"Then, suddenly he slowed up dramatically and got back on the power. I wasn't expecting it and he caught me by surprise. That part is on me. It's interesting he's been called by the stewards. I'm intrigued as to what they have to say."
Fernando Alonso was eventually given a 20-second penalty which cost him two positions in the final standings.
