George Russell has walked away unhurt after smashing his Mercedes in a huge crash on the last lap of the Australian Grand Prix.
The Briton’s car was left teetering on its side in turns six and seven after he slid through the gravel and into the barriers at high speed while battling Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
Russell was seen moving freely straight after the impact, which left debris strewn across the track and forced the race to be completed under the virtual safety car.
‘I am OK,’ he told his Red Bull team via radio.
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Russell’s car was an absolute wreck after he smashed into the barriers at high speed while battling Fernando Alonso on the last lap
The British star and his Spanish rival are being investigated by stewards over the incident, with suspicions that Russell may have been brake-tested by the Aston Martin ace
Despite the heavy impact, Russell was seen moving freely straight after the crash and emerged unhurt from the wreckage
Stewards are investigating the incident amid suspicion that the Spaniard could have brake-tested the Englishman.
The crash occurred on the same part of the track where Williams’ Alex Albon crashed heavily during practice, and race winner Carlos Sainz appeared to be wary of that section when he asked about Russell’s condition after winning the race ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc.
‘He had a big one, no?’ Sainz said of his Mercedes rival.
‘I said it about this corner, it is too much.’
Russell was caught up in a social media scandal before the race when two Australian influencers were slammed for posting footage of him using a urinal at Albert Park in a shocking invasion of privacy.
He also crashed out on the final lap of last year’s Singapore Grand Prix, with the accident costing him a spot on the podium.
Sainz made a remarkable comeback from surgery to win the dramatic race, after Red Bull superstar Max Verstappen’s bid to equal his own Formula One record went up in smoke.
Two weeks after he was sidelined from the Saudi Arabian race due to appendicitis, Sainz claimed the third win of his F1 career, and first at Albert Park.
Carlos Sainz later voiced his concerns about the section of track where Russell’s race ended – the same series of high-speed corners where Alex Albon wrecked his Williams on Friday
Sainz overcame appendix surgery just two weeks ago to lead home his Ferrari teammate in Melbourne and give the Prancing Horse a badly needed one-two finish (pictured)
Russell’s exit capped off a disastrous weekend for Mercedes, with his teammate Lewis Hamilton also retiring on lap 17 due to engine failure
The Spaniard took the chequered flag ahead of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, with McLaren’s Lando Norris finishing third.
McLaren’s rising star Oscar Piastri came in fourth, continuing the run of an Australian driver having never made it on the podium in Melbourne.
Verstappen’s bid to win a 10th straight race for the second time in less than 12 months ended after he suffered a car fire early in Sunday’s race.
After cantering to wins in the opening two races of the season, Verstappen was a red hot favourite to go back-to-back after winning at Albert Park for the first time last year.
The three-time defending world champion started on pole but Sainz, who qualified second, overtook him on the second lap.
The race was blown wide open when Max Verstappen was forced to retire on lap five after his Red Bull caught fire thanks to a faulty right rear brake
The world champion said the brake was ‘locked on’ right from the start of the race, making it seem like he was driving ‘with the handbrake on’
Verstappen then began complaining on team radio about ‘losing the car’.
Soon afterwards, smoke appeared at the rear of the 26-year-old’s car and he was forced into the pits on lap three, with no hope of a return.
‘My right rear brake basically stuck on from when the lights went off,’ Verstappen said.
‘The temperatures (in the car) just kept on increasing until the point that it caught fire.
‘They (mechanics) could see what was going on but they don’t know what what caused it.
‘We had a lot of good races in a row, I knew that the day would come when you end up having a retirement and unfortunately that day was today.’
It continues a mixed relationship with Australia for Verstappen, who was forced to retire in the 2022 edition.
Verstappen had won nine straight races, dating back to the Japanese Grand Prix last September.
Sainz was the last driver, in Singapore last September, other than Verstappen to win a F1 race.
Victory at Albert Park would have taken Verstappen level with his own record, set with his 10 straight wins from Miami to Monza last year.
Britain’s Lando Norris (right) is pictured spraying Sainz with champagne after he finished third
The victory was the third of Sainz’s career and comes after the shock news Hamilton will be replacing him at the Italian team next year
Verstappen won 19 races last season – the most in F1 history – on his way to a third straight title to completely dominate the rest of the field.
The Dutchman had also converted his last 18 poles into a race win.
Verstappen wasn’t the only big name to suffer mechanical issues, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton forced to the back of the field on lap 17.
Hamilton, who started 11th after his worst qualifying session at Albert Park since 2010, headed to the garage in another disappointing race in his last season with Mercedes before his switch to Ferrari next year.
It was the first time Verstappen and Hamilton – F1’s two most successful drivers of the past decade – had withdrawn from the same race due to mechanical failures.
Australian veteran Daniel Ricciardo, who missed last year’s Melbourne race, finished 12th with his new team, RB.
