"Can we say Aussie bias yet?": Fans react to Oscar Piastri getting away with just a €5000 fine for George Russell pit lane incident

Oscar Piastri and the McLaren F1 team have got away with just a €5000 fine for the pit lane incident involving George Russell during the Dutch GP FP2. Fans online have reacted to this news, with many questioning why the Aussie driver was not handed a harsher penalty.

Oscar Piastri moved back into the fast lane inside the pit lane when his path was blocked by McLaren mechanics who stood in the pit area during the Dutch GP FP2. George Russell was behind him and had to brake aggressively to avoid crashing into the back of the #81 McLaren.

The FIA Stewards deemed that the incident was on the team rather than the driver, who was not warned about the incoming Mercedes behind him. Hence, a €5000 fine was dished out to the Papaya team.

Fans online have reacted to this news, with many wondering whether the penalty was too lenient for what could have been a serious crash.

"Can we say Aussie bias yet?," said one fan.

Snappy

@ChristOnABike0

Can we say Aussie bias yet?

"Mclaren bias visible all the way," claimed another user.

Jakub Bachański

@jakub_bachanski

Mclaren bias visible all the way

"lmfao, if roles were reversed it would be a 5 place grid penalty for george," said another fan.

☔️ 🇮🇹

@12_AVFC

lmfao, if roles were reversed it would be a 5 place grid penalty for george

Here are some more reactions:

"British bias speakers reallll silent," said another user.

e IV

@threepointshots

British bias speakers reallll silent

"Yikes. If roles were reversed or if it was Max, its a grid drop," claimed another fan.

Devin Fleet

@DFleetyy

Yikes. If roles were reversed or if it was Max, its a grid drop. All jokes aside there were marshals right there. That could have been alot worse and a 5k fine doesnt feel like the punishment fits the crime

"mate it’s literally like 3rd time they are giving this punishment after pit lane accident like this, they are being consistent with this one," said another user.

Barb||105🏆

@F1barb_444

mate it’s literally like 3rd time they are giving this punishment after pit lane accident like this, they are being consistent with this one.

As noted, the fine did not even go in the direction of Oscar Piastri, as the McLaren team admitted to being at fault for the incident. Piastri will breathe a sigh of relief as a sporting penalty could have been detrimental to his drivers' championship fight with Lando Norris.

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George Russell shares his side of the story after pit lane incident with Oscar Piastri

George Russell and Oscar Piastri at the Canadian Grand Prix of Canada weekend - Source: Getty

George Russell claimed that the incident with Oscar Piastri during FP2 at Zandvoort was "unfortunate". The Briton said he was a little scared as the move took him by surprise, but did not blame his rival.

Speaking to the media post the FP2 session, Russell summarized his side of the story.

"I think he pulled in a bit too early, (then) pulled back out. So, just a bit unfortunate but it scared me a bit. You know when you're on track you're sort of ready for anything, but when you're in the pit lane, going relatively very slow, you're just chilling out," said Russell [via Formula 1's official website].

"I was just looking at my screen, and I was like, 'Jesus!'. Yeah, caught me by surprise," he added.

Russell heads into the Dutch GP weekend sitting fourth in the drivers' standings. Max Verstappen (P3) is only 15 points ahead of him on the table, with a top-three finish becoming an increasingly possible result for the Mercedes driver.