P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Piastri: "Blatant" Russell illegal F1 sprint overtake never a "50:50"
George Russell, driving for Mercedes, received a three-place grid penalty for blocking Charles Leclerc during Saturday qualifying, resulting in an 11th place start. On lap three, he attempted to pass Oscar Piastri for seventh but received a five-second penalty for going off-track to complete the overtake. As a result, he finished eighth. Piastri stated that it was not a 50:50 incident, as Russell clearly accelerated off the track. Russell admitted it was an optimistic move and thought he may have gained the position if Piastri had been more lenient. There were also debates over another move, where Williams driver Alex Albon passed Piastri off-track. Lando Norris suggested harsher penalties for drivers deliberately going off-track. Piastri believed the penalty set a precedent and could tempt faster cars to exploit the rule.
Source: motorsport
