GEORGE RUSSELL was involved in a horror crash in post-season Formula One testing.
The Mercedes star, 25, was taking part in a Pirelli tyre test event at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, where F1 had held its season finale last weekend.
Russell, who earned a podium with a P3 finish in Sunday’s race, had completed a Grand Prix distance of 58 laps over the course of the testing day when he was forced to call it quits early.
A suspected component failure in his W14 car caused it to crash into the wall at Turn 6 by going straight on rather than turning, bringing out the red flags.
After the crash, Mercedes said Russell had emerged from the accident unscathed with the wreckage being brought back to the pits with a tow truck.
A post from the team on X, formerly known as Twitter, said: “We have the car back and have already begun investigations into what caused the accident.
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“Most importantly, George is completely OK.”
Reports indicated the damage on the car was mainly on the front right.
The test event is an opportunity for tyre supplier Pirelli to test their new compounds and a chance for rookie drivers to be handed valuable minutes.
F2 runner-up Frederik Vesti, who had replaced Lewis Hamilton in Free Practice 1 last Friday before the race, participated in the other Mercedes.
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Mercedes clinched P2 in the constructor’s standings ahead of Ferrari by just three points following the weekend’s race.
Alpine driver Esteban Ocon topped the time charts across the day.
Pato O’Ward finished P2 with McLaren from Vesti in P3, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in P4 and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz in P5.
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Tony Robertson
