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.”
