GEORGE RUSSELL walked away from a huge crash in the Australian Grand Prix unscathed after a duel with Fernando Alonso.
The Mercedes star was sent skidding through the gravel and crashed into the barrier in the final lap of the Melbourne race as he chased down the F1 legend.
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Russell’s car – which left a slew of debris on the track – was left on its side at turns six and seven
F1 fans feared for the Brit after seeing him crash into the hoardings but he allayed those concerns in his immediate communication with his team.
“I am OK,” he told his Mercedes team via his radio.
The crash resulted in the remainder of the race being completed with a safety car.
The FIA are set to launch an investigation into Russell’s crash due to the suggestion that Alonso could have break-tested the Brit.
And Russell believes it was “clear’ the Spaniard braked 100 metres before the dangerous turn.
He said of the incident: “I mean, my take is I’ve gone off and that’s on me.
“But, I was half a second behind Fernando 100 metres before the corner and suddenly he came towards me extremely quick.
“I was right on his gearbox. I don’t know if he’s got a problem or not.
“We’re off to the stewards so that’s a bit bizarre in a circumstance like this.
“I got nothing more to say right now, I need to see everything. I’m just disappointed to end the race like that.”
He added: “Well, it’s clear that he brakes 100 metres before the corner and then went back on the throttle again and took the corner normally.
“We’ve already seen the data of that so I’m not going to accuse him of anything until we’ve seen further.
But, you know, I was right behind him for many, many laps, I was half a second behind him approaching the corner and then suddenly, he slowed up very dramatically and got back from the power.
“I wasn’t expecting that and caught me by surprise.
“So that part’s on me, but it’s interesting that we’ve been called to the stewards so intrigued to see what is said.”
Russell and Alonso weren’t the only drivers enveloped in drama in the race Down Under.
Defending champion Max Verstappen saw his bid to equal his record of ten consecutive wins go up in smoke when his rear break caught fire in the third lap and forced him to retire.
His retirement paved the way for returning Ferrari star Carlos Sainz to win the race.
The Spaniard said: : “It was a really good race. I felt really good out there.
“Of course a bit stiff and especially physically it wasn’t the easiest but I was lucky I was more or less on my own and I could manage my pace, my tyres, manage everything, and it wasn’t the toughest race of all.
“But very happy, very proud of the team, and happy to be in a one-two with Charles [Leclerc].
“It shows that hard work pays off and life sometimes is crazy.
“What happened at the beginning of the year, then the podium in Bahrain, then the appendix, the comeback, the win…it’s a rollercoaster.
“But I loved it and I’m extremely happy. will recommend all the drivers to take [their appendix] out this winter!”
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