FIA punishes 'embarrassed' George Russell after Montreal meltdown - racingnews365.com

Article To news overview George Russell has been punished after he was investigated for an unsafe act after retiring from the Canadian Grand Prix. During an entertaining, high-octane battle with Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes driver suffered a heartbreaking power unit failure as his W17 ground to a halt almost midway through the 68-lap race. The incident occurred while Russell was running in the lead and looking to close the gap in the championship to the young Italian. But his retirement left his team-mate a clear route to victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, who subsequently extended his lead in the F1 drivers' championship from 18 points to 43. In his anguish, the crestfallen Russell threw his headrest from his car, something the stewards took a dim view of as it landed on the track, with the British driver called before them after the race in Montreal concluded. The officials felt it created a potentially dangerous situation and, as a result, they have handed the six-time grand prix winner a €5,000 fine, which has been suspended for 12 months, so long as a similar incident does not occur. Russell expressed his "embarrassment" at his actions, with the FIA decision document stating: "The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 63, the team representative and reviewed video evidence. "The driver explained that he was extremely frustrated having failed to finish the race, and expressed his embarrassment at what subsequently followed. "He apologised to the stewards for his action and acknowledged that it did not set a good example and offered to apologise publicly. The Stewards acknowledged this and accepted his apology." Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives. Lewis Hamilton pays emotional tribute to brother after podium double 26 May 1:38PM 0 F1 legend makes shock MotoGP switch 26 May 12:45PM 0 F1 Podcast Max Verstappen sets F1 demand as ‘title gods’ against George Russell 25 May 4:00PM 0 Aston Martin joins forces with iconic British brand 26 May 12:30PM 0 Max Verstappen 'weakness' raised over major F1 plea 26 May 12:00PM 0 2026 Indy 500 record-breaking prize money revealed 26 May 8:40AM 0 Oscar Piastri issues 'never before' apology to Alex Albon for F1 smash 25 May 7:05PM 0 McLaren reveal cause of Lando Norris Canada F1 retirement 25 May 4:30PM 0 Lewis Hamilton issues Ferrari plea after breakthrough F1 result 25 May 12:10AM 0 In this article Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season. A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.