F1 fans agree on who was at fault after dramatic Fernando Alonso and George Russell Dutch Grand Prix near miss

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George Russell and Fernando Alonso came awfully close to ending both of their FP3 sessions early after a dramatic near miss between the two drivers at the pit-lane entry.

Russell was on his way back to the Mercedes garage when Alonso appeared in his rear-view mirror whilst on a flying lap.

Both drivers’ intentions were thwarted, as the Spaniard had to make his way through the pit lane as he had already crossed the entry line, and Russell had to continue for another lap.

Lando Norris topped the timing sheet in FP3 for a clean sweep of the free practice sessions at Zandvoort as he looks to close the championship gap between himself and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.

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F1 fans think George Russell is to blame for a close call with Fernando Alonso in FP3

Taking to the social media platform X to discuss the incident, F1 fans were quick to point the blame towards Russell for not making it clear that he was about to enter the pit lane as he appeared to linger on the racing line before turning in.

One user believes the Mercedes driver should receive a sanction for his part in the near miss, commenting, “Russell better get a penalty for that.” Another user agreed and cited his lack of awareness by posting, “Clear penalty for Russell. He doesn’t use his mirrors.”

One F1 fan believes a penalty isn’t harsh enough for him, demanding, “Russell better get a penalty for that.” In contrast, another fan believes the Mercedes driver won’t be punished too harshly, theorising, “Russell will probably get a slap on the wrist.”

Other fans were unable to believe Russell’s antics, with one fan commenting, “Seriously, what was Russell thinking?”

Another user wasn’t surprised, however, as they posted, “Russell up to his usual tricks.”

After avoiding the crash, both drivers went on to finish the practice session with no further incidents. Russell finished the last of the practice sessions with the third fastest time, whilst Alonso rounded out the top 10 after finishing fourth in FP1.

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Jacques Villeneuve and Karun Chandhok both agree that the incident was George Russell’s fault

Speaking in the commentary box of Sky Sports F1’s coverage of FP3, former F1 drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Karun Chandhok both agreed that Russell was to blame for the close call.

Following a replay of the incident appearing on the world feed, Chandhok offered his verdict (11:21am 30/08), saying, “Russell should have been further to the right.”

To which Villeneuve replied, “Yeah, Russell was on the racing line and Alonso had nowhere to go. He suddenly sees him on the racing line and has nowhere to go, so he tries to get him on the inside. That was not the best thing from Russell there.”

Despite the incident, the two drivers have a lot of respect for each other off-track. Russell praised Alonso’s longevity in the sport earlier in the year, adding that the 44-year-old’s approach to racing is something he takes inspiration from.