Mercedes ace Russell’s ‘blatant’ breach at US GP sparks calls for F1 rule change

Follow us on Google Discover

Jolyon Palmer feels Formula 1 should change its rules on overtaking off the track after Mercedes star George Russell’s ‘blatant’ pass on McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at the US GP.

The race stewards gave Russell a five-second time penalty after driving off the road to pass Piastri in the Sprint. He made no effort to stay on the track at Turn 16 when the McLaren ace defended the racing line. But the penalty ultimately had little effect on the Mercedes driver.

Russell crossed the line in P7 but only fell behind Pierre Gasly in P8, costing the 25-year-old just one point. He and Mercedes argued in vain that Piastri forced the Briton off the road as Russell sought a legal move. But the stewards saw through the excuse and gave the penalty.

Russell passed Piastri in the United States GP Sprint with a ‘blatant’ illegal overtake

Mercedes could have avoided Russell receiving a penalty by instructing their driver to hand the place back to Piastri. But they showed no desire to yield the position and Gasly also got past the Australian with a legitimate overtake. So, their chance to avoid a penalty vanished.

Piastri struggled for pace through the early stages of the Sprint at the United States GP last weekend. Russell would likely have found his way past the McLaren driver had he waited a few more corners. But he saw a chance and hoped that the stewards would not intervene.

Palmer now urges Formula 1 to change its rules regarding off-track overtakes

Palmer believes the penalty Russell got in the United States GP Sprint was a slam dunk. He ‘ran clearly off the road on the exit and kept the place’ gained by illegally overtaking Piastri. But his penalty was inconsequential with the pace advantage Mercedes had over McLaren.

So, the ex-Renault F1 driver believes Formula 1 should look to change its rules regarding off-track overtakes. Palmer feels the stewards should force the guilty driver to yield the position gained in all circumstances. He also fears the fall-out of an illegal move deciding a race win.

“This was one of the more blatant cases of overtaking off the circuit we’ve seen for a while,” Palmer has told the Formula 1 website. “Russell was entirely behind Piastri coming into the corner, barely had an overlap even at the apex of the corner and, therefore, had no right to space on the exit as Piastri claimed the racing line, forcing Russell to go off or to back off.”

Palmer added: “It begs the question, is a five-second penalty for a clearcut case of passing off the track tough enough? Certainly, Piastri thought it wasn’t… The bigger question is, what happens if this was deciding a battle for the lead?

“A better rule might be to enforce drivers to give the place back where at all possible, no matter whether the driver in question has lost further position or not. That would incentivise quicker decisions and actions from the cockpit of the offending driver, which not only maintains fairness but should help to provide a better show, as well.”