144 replies to this topic

[Autodromo]

So, for me, even though Russell's accidental move to balk Hamilton through the final corner and his subsequent swerve are both his fault, Hamilton's misunderstanding aggravated the situation.

It's not the first time Hamilton has misunderstood the body language of cars ahead of him, let's remember.

Sure; you are going down the straight and as you get to the rear wing of the car in front of you (on which you are gaining rapidly) and they move over to the right, off the racing line, who could possibly think that the person was letting them by?  I wouldn't call that a mis-read.  All he did was drive perfectly straight on the racing line at the same speed he'd already been going.  Should Hamilton torch his lap and potentially not make Q3 because his teammate is driving slowly in front of him and then pulls to the side?  That makes no sense.  It was a no-win situation for sure.  Luckily no harm other than a front wing.

Edited by Autodromo, 03 June 2023 - 19:53.

[TomNokoe]

Sure; you are going down the straight and as you get to the rear wing of the car in front of you (on which you are gaining rapidly) and they move over to the right, off the racing line, who could possibly think that the person was letting them by? I wouldn't call that a mis-read. All he did was drive perfectly straight on the racing line at the same speed he'd already been going. Should Hamilton torch his lap and potentially not make Q3 because his teammate is driving slowly in front of him and then pulls to the side? That makes no sense. It was a no-win situation for sure. Luckily no harm other than a front wing.

This started before the straight, Hamilton would've seen Russell avoiding Sainz and then desperately trying to open his own lap through the final corner.

Russell wasn't slow either, he crossed the start/finish line to start his lap at 290kph, by comparison Hamilton's final lap in Q3 was 293kph. The theory that "his lap was over before it had started" is wrong. The only reason Hamilton was gaining was because of the tow.

Russell moves gently right, leaving less than a cars width to the white line, and Hamilton for some reason decides to squeeze in this gap and take some of the grass with him. The idea he saw this as him being "let through" is silly.

Considering Hamilton was the car behind (and was already through by any reasonable estimation) then yes the obligation was on him to back off. Had he overtook Russell he would've been so compromised into T1 his lap would've been ruined anyway, so he would've "torched" his own lap.

I understand Hamilton only had a few seconds to decide, but surely the default action is "back off and complain later" not "try and squeeze through a tiny gap at 300kph".

Edited by TomNokoe, 03 June 2023 - 20:17.

[Gareth]

Couple of small errors added up to a rather silly moment:

Russell messed up his final sector of his warm up. Should have started to push earlier to prevent Sainz going through, or backed off sooner to let Sainz through earlier. He ended up way too slow out of the final turn for his own lap, and way too close to Hamilton for his. Not sure if that was poor comms from the team or a Russell error.

Seemed clear from what happened on the straight that George didn’t realize Lewis was there when he drove into him. Again team should be letting him know, but he’s a pro racing driver and should have awareness of his surroundings.

I wasn’t sure what Lewis was doing sticking his nose in there, mind. Sure he’s entitled to, and George shouldn’t pull across him. But it’s qualifying, his lap is clearly ruined before it’s begun and attempting a pas in T1 is just putting his team mate’s lap at risk as well for no real reason.

Overall though George mostly to blame. He should know what’s behind and alongside him .

[ANF]

I need to see both onboard videos from T13 to fully understand what happened. Live TV was tracking Sainz who was about to complete a push lap. Hamilton, on an out lap, was behind Sainz as the exited T12. In the next shot you could see Russell going very slowly between T13 and T14. Russell had aborted a push lap and was going for another one. As soon as Russell had let Sainz by he got on the racing line and blocked Hamilton before T14. Surely, Russell must have known at that point that Hamilton was right behind him? Russell says he didn't know he was there but... I don't know.

Watching the onboards, it seems that Russell was telling the truth: he didn't know Hamilton was there because he never checked his mirrors, not until they had made contact.

While in sector 3 on the previous lap, Russell asked the team whether there were any cars behind. He was told about Verstappen and Sainz. He slowed down through T13 to let Sainz past, then floored it – again without checking his mirrors before he got on the racing line, so he didn't see Hamilton who had to get on the brakes behind (slowing from 259 to 220 km/h).

Hamilton wasn't told about Russell being slow ahead and going for another lap either.

 

If, say, Lance Stroll had been the one driving down one of the longest straights on the calendar and being totally unaware of a following car closing in quickly and pulling up alongside him, and if he had made contact with the said car simply because he never used his mirrors, some people would have been asking for a race ban...

[Autodromo]

This started before the straight, Hamilton would've seen Russell avoiding Sainz and then desperately trying to open his own lap through the final corner.

Russell wasn't slow either, he crossed the start/finish line to start his lap at 290kph, by comparison Hamilton's final lap in Q3 was 293kph. The theory that "his lap was over before it had started" is wrong. The only reason Hamilton was gaining was because of the tow.

Russell moves gently right, leaving less than a cars width to the white line, and Hamilton for some reason decides to squeeze in this gap and take some of the grass with him. The idea he saw this as him being "let through" is silly.

Considering Hamilton was the car behind (and was already through by any reasonable estimation) then yes the obligation was on him to back off. Had he overtook Russell he would've been so compromised into T1 his lap would've been ruined anyway, so he would've "torched" his own lap.

I understand Hamilton only had a few seconds to decide, but surely the default action is "back off and complain later" not "try and squeeze through a tiny gap at 300kph".

Which is why Hamilton was assuming George was giving him a tow, considering it looked like he was heading into the pits just before he pulled right in front of Lewis entering the corner.  I guess Lewis could have thought, "Well, George is intentionally trying to screw me over so I will back off", but he had no reason to believe George was aiming for a hot lap (did anyone else pull onto the racing line between T's 13 and 14 prior to a hot lap as late as George did?) and no reason to believe George was intentionally screwing him.  It even seems that quotes from both drivers and the team are consistent with this position.  Don't forget, George's push lap was supposed to the prior lap and Hamilton would have known that.

Edited by Autodromo, 03 June 2023 - 20:38.

[P123]

Couple of small errors added up to a rather silly moment:

Russell messed up his final sector of his warm up. Should have started to push earlier to prevent Sainz going through, or backed off sooner to let Sainz through earlier. He ended up way too slow out of the final turn for his own lap, and way too close to Hamilton for his. Not sure if that was poor comms from the team or a Russell error.

Seemed clear from what happened on the straight that George didn’t realize Lewis was there when he drove into him. Again team should be letting him know, but he’s a pro racing driver and should have awareness of his surroundings.

I wasn’t sure what Lewis was doing sticking his nose in there, mind. Sure he’s entitled to, and George shouldn’t pull across him. But it’s qualifying, his lap is clearly ruined before it’s begun and attempting a pas in T1 is just putting his team mate’s lap at risk as well for no real reason.

Overall though George mostly to blame. He should know what’s behind and alongside him .

 

The first glimpse Hamilton got of Russell was of George over to the right, as if entering the pitlane, and going slowly, which caused Hamilton himself to catch him quickly and have to lift briefly on entry to the final corner.  As you note, starting a lap from the position GR was in was suboptimal.  Something known to the drivers too.  That George then moved offline, from Hamilton's perspective getting out of the way, but from GR's perspective, searching out a tow from Sainz only served to further Hamilton's impression that it was not a hot lap for Russell. His own lap at that point was not ruined.  Hamilton did not stick his nose in to anything.  He kept the same line.  He was not attempting a pass.  George had moved and opened the door.  They touched front wing to front wing, because George moved back, and the touch put Hamilton on the grass.  Given his compromised beginning of the lap, GR should certainly have been having  a good check of his mirrors, and the team should have been awake too.  The Button defence of "what was he doing" does not work in any way for George on this occasion. 

[P123]

Russell moves gently right, leaving less than a cars width to the white line, and Hamilton for some reason decides to squeeze in this gap and take some of the grass with him. 

 

Well, that never happened, so a very odd description of what the moving pictures don't actually show at all!  10/10 for creativity though.  

Considering Hamilton was the car behind (and was already through by any reasonable estimation) then yes the obligation was on him to back off. Had he overtook Russell he would've been so compromised into T1 his lap would've been ruined anyway, so he would've "torched" his own lap.

 

Perhaps, but then why did the team send him back out?  Compromised into T1 by being on the racing line is another invention.  Another odd claim. 

I understand Hamilton only had a few seconds to decide, but surely the default action is "back off and complain later" not "try and squeeze through a tiny gap at 300kph".

 

No, he had the entire final corner and most of the pit straight to decide.  Led by the actions of GR.  There was no tiny gap.  That again is your imagination, but not what the footage shows.  Russell had all that time too to do the sensible thing and check his mirrors.  And the team should have done a better job keeping tabs.

 

[Gareth]

The first glimpse Hamilton got of Russell was of George over to the right, as if entering the pitlane, and going slowly, which caused Hamilton himself to catch him quickly and have to lift briefly on entry to the final corner. As you note, starting a lap from the position GR was in was suboptimal. Something known to the drivers too. That George then moved offline, from Hamilton's perspective getting out of the way, but from GR's perspective, searching out a tow from Sainz only served to further Hamilton's impression that it was not a hot lap for Russell. His own lap at that point was not ruined. Hamilton did not stick his nose in to anything. He kept the same line. He was not attempting a pass. George had moved and opened the door. They touched front wing to front wing, because George moved back, and the touch put Hamilton on the grass. Given his compromised beginning of the lap, GR should certainly have been having a good check of his mirrors, and the team should have been awake too. The Button defence of "what was he doing" does not work in any way for George on this occasion.

Ah, thanks. Hadn’t considered the possibility Lewis might have thought Russell had abandoned his lap.

Would feel unlikely given it was the final chance in the session? But I guess possible. Did he say anything on those lines after (I’ve not seen the interviews)?

[Autodromo]

 

As you note, it is much easier to sort out if you look at the onboards.  F1TV is a must for discussions such as these.

[Beamer]

Stupid move by Ham. Don't race your teammate when your both on a hotlap. Yes Russell caused the collision, but you can't blame him for not expecting Ham there. Ham should not have been there, that was all on him.

[JeePee]

Russell has the same spatial awareness as Stroll. Very little.

[Seanspeed]

I wasn’t sure what Lewis was doing sticking his nose in there, mind. Sure he’s entitled to

Lewis has done something similar on a few occasions in the past, where he comes up on slower cars(also on hotlaps) in qualifying and attempts to get ahead with some slightly risky moves. 

 

That said, this incident is not on him.  As you say, he's entitled to do what he did.  I think George was understandably focused on the car he was himself just overtaking and obviously had no idea there would be another car beside him at that point, which is usually the pitwall's job to inform him of such gaps.  

 

Just a racing incident.  But we all know exactly how the voting will go here anyways, regardless of reason. 

Edited by Seanspeed, 03 June 2023 - 21:27.

[redreni]

As a team boss if both my cars are trying to start a qualy lap I wouldn't (of course) want them anywhere near each other. If they did start a lap line astern I'd expect the one who was behind to back off because trying to overtake (unless it's an orchestrated move where one driver sacrifices a lap to give the other a tow) just ruins both laps.

 

I thought Sam Collins' analysis was very good. It went wrong for Russell when he fell behind Tsunoda and he made it worse by trying and failing to get back in front. He ended up with a heavily compromised run onto the start/finish straight. I'm not sure I'd say his lap was ruined per se since Q3 might still have been achievable (though perhaps not with the setup he was running which looked a bit evil), but it was heavily compromised before it started.

 

Hamilton simply needed to be told to back off before the last corner. The team should have seen that, with Russell and Tsunoda running that close together, whichever of the two was behind at the critical point would be bound to drop back rather than start the lap too close to another car. They should have seen that Hamilton was going to catch either Russell or Tsunoda. Once he hadn't been told to back off and started his lap under another car's rear wing, his lap was also ruined. Normally I doubt he'd have tried to overtake, but I guess he was confused by Russell wandering across the track looking for a tow from the Ferrari ahead.

 

From a team perspective, I guess once Hamilton was up alongside the smart thing for Russell to do (assuming he saw him) would have been to let him go, since that would have at least saved one Mercedes' lap, although to be honest I'm not sure anybody could afford to be that subservient as to allow Hamilton to overtake them into turn 1 when they're on a qualifying lap. A Kovalainen or maybe a Bottas might do that. A Button or a Rosberg would just say "sorry about that, old chap, didn't see you there!" Maybe that's true and maybe it isn't, but whatever.

[hollowstar]

Stupid move by Ham. Don't race your teammate when your both on a hotlap. Yes Russell caused the collision, but you can't blame him for not expecting Ham there. Ham should not have been there, that was all on him.

 

When they're both on hot lap, Lewis can't expect Russell to be so slow. Simple as that.

[ForzaFormula]

Sure; you are going down the straight and as you get to the rear wing of the car in front of you (on which you are gaining rapidly) and they move over to the right, off the racing line, who could possibly think that the person was letting them by?  I wouldn't call that a mis-read.  All he did was drive perfectly straight on the racing line at the same speed he'd already been going.  Should Hamilton torch his lap and potentially not make Q3 because his teammate is driving slowly in front of him and then pulls to the side?  That makes no sense.  It was a no-win situation for sure.  Luckily no harm other than a front wing.

How anyone can put this on Hamilton is baffling as usual. Russel just did not know what to do in the moment and had a brain fade, he will learn with his situational awareness. 

[Beamer]

When they're both on hot lap, Lewis can't expect Russell to be so slow. Simple as that.

You dont compromise your teammates hot lap by trying to pull of a bone hat race like overtake on the outside. Simple as that

Ps: and i really dont like russel more than Hamilton. To be honest i dont like russel more then just about anyone

Edited by Beamer, 03 June 2023 - 22:04.

[Autodromo]

The moral of the story is to make sure the pit wall folks are good in a "crisis" and have better situational awareness.  

 

Actually I just looked back and realized that they never threw a yellow flag for Perez's trip through the gravel.  That is rather surprising.  I thought that George slowed because of a yellow flag (Checo came back on track right in front of him) but actually there was no yellow flag and it was a simple matter of him blowing that corner.  So I guess that is the second moral of the story; do not blow your hot lap in qualifying.

[Autodromo]

You dont compromise your teammates hot lap by trying to pull of a bone hat race like overtake on the outside. Simple as that.

Russell had already compromised his own hot lap, then Hamilton's hot lap, then his own hot lap again.  

[BobbyRicky]

George Maldonado at it again eh

[Jerem]

Lewis was following Sainz at the end of his hot lap (presumably to benefit from the tow on the straight), so he caught up on George a bit quicker than the pitwall would have expected. Actually Lewis was never warned of George ahead.

George was warned about Sainz catching up on him in the penultimate corner, but not about Lewis. He backed off to let Sainz through and then picked up the throttle immediately.
Lewis was catching up quickly on George on the straight and legitimately pulled alongside. 

I would say this is mostly on the pitwall.

[P123]

As a team boss if both my cars are trying to start a qualy lap I wouldn't (of course) want them anywhere near each other. If they did start a lap line astern I'd expect the one who was behind to back off because trying to overtake (unless it's an orchestrated move where one driver sacrifices a lap to give the other a tow) just ruins both laps.

 

I thought Sam Collins' analysis was very good. It went wrong for Russell when he fell behind Tsunoda and he made it worse by trying and failing to get back in front. He ended up with a heavily compromised run onto the start/finish straight. I'm not sure I'd say his lap was ruined per se since Q3 might still have been achievable (though perhaps not with the setup he was running which looked a bit evil), but it was heavily compromised before it started.

 

Hamilton simply needed to be told to back off before the last corner. The team should have seen that, with Russell and Tsunoda running that close together, whichever of the two was behind at the critical point would be bound to drop back rather than start the lap too close to another car. They should have seen that Hamilton was going to catch either Russell or Tsunoda. Once he hadn't been told to back off and started his lap under another car's rear wing, his lap was also ruined. Normally I doubt he'd have tried to overtake, but I guess he was confused by Russell wandering across the track looking for a tow from the Ferrari ahead.

 

From a team perspective, I guess once Hamilton was up alongside the smart thing for Russell to do (assuming he saw him) would have been to let him go, since that would have at least saved one Mercedes' lap, although to be honest I'm not sure anybody could afford to be that subservient as to allow Hamilton to overtake them into turn 1 when they're on a qualifying lap. A Kovalainen or maybe a Bottas might do that. A Button or a Rosberg would just say "sorry about that, old chap, didn't see you there!" Maybe that's true and maybe it isn't, but whatever.

 

 

I think they made an error warning GR about Sainz.  He had enough of a gap to start his lap as Sainz was about 7s behind him as George headed into the penultimate corner.

Edited by P123, 03 June 2023 - 22:40.

[JimmyClark]

George Maldonado at it again eh

Well you had better get your money on him for the win on Sunday then ;)

[Wuzak]

It's very odd that the stewards found Russell at fault but did not give him a penalty.

 

If not for blocking, surely for causing a collision?

[Lesky]

When was the last time we saw any driver overtake his teammate who was on a flying qualifying lap and also were in the elimination zone? Has it ever it ever happened in Formula 1 history?

Edited by Lesky, 04 June 2023 - 04:36.

[baddog]

Completely dumb stuff by all concerned but especially sloppy and poor from George.

[Timorous]

You dont compromise your teammates hot lap by trying to pull of a bone hat race like overtake on the outside. Simple as that

Ps: and i really dont like russel more than Hamilton. To be honest i dont like russel more then just about anyone

Russell looked as though he was backing off on the hotlap. He gave way to Sainz in an area where he should have been full speed.

The Hamilton on board tells the whole story. If you have not seen it and are just basing it off of what was shown in the feed you are missing a huge piece of the puzzle.

[Primo]

[Lesky]

I have no idea how anyone can blame Russel in any way whatsoever. Dude had a frantic lap with letting other cars go past, hit the gas on the straight watching the Ferrari. And Russell was in the elimination zone, he was focused on getting in a banker lap. As far as I am aware nobody has mentioned any case in Formula 1 history where any driver has overtaken his teammate in the eliminate zone doing his final qualifying lap. George had no reason at all to expect his teammate or any other car doing a banzai move at that point, hence what happened happened. From all indication George had no idea Lewis was coming and did not even see him. 

And if he did, should he just have aborted his only chance to go through to Q3 to avoid being jumped by his own teammate who had essentially already made Q3? I think this question is irrelevant if George never saw him, but even if Russel did I think the onus should be on Lewis to back off, not George. If GS had pulled that move on Lewis I am sure he would have been accused of being selfish for not backing off, and also people would question the purpose of trying to jump his teammate and ruin both drivers laps.

This was not a race where GS must expect to have someone try to overtake him.

Edited by Lesky, 04 June 2023 - 06:48.

[New Britain]

Which is why Hamilton was assuming George was giving him a tow, considering it looked like he was heading into the pits just before he pulled right in front of Lewis entering the corner.  I guess Lewis could have thought, "Well, George is intentionally trying to screw me over so I will back off", but he had no reason to believe George was aiming for a hot lap (did anyone else pull onto the racing line between T's 13 and 14 prior to a hot lap as late as George did?) and no reason to believe George was intentionally screwing him.  It even seems that quotes from both drivers and the team are consistent with this position.  Don't forget, George's push lap was supposed to the prior lap and Hamilton would have known that.

 

When a driver intends to give a teammate a tow, almost always (and especially in qualifying) it would be coordinated through the pit-wall, not made up on the fly by the drivers.

[Gareth]

George had no reason at all to expect his teammate or any other car doing a banzai move at that point, hence what happened happened.

It wasn’t any sort of banzai move. Hamilton had a super run on Russell (thanks to Russell’s messed up final two corners and the slipstream) and George moved over. Hamilton just literally kept driving straight on a straight into an area where there wasn’t a car.

George should be aware of cars around him at all times.

[chrcol]

As a general rule I’d say it’s up to the car behind to find space for a flying lap. Drivers starting a flying lap generally don’t expect to have someone trying to pass them.

 

I get the point, but also the mirrors are there for a reason.

 

The problem for Russell is the sudden sharp movement, and the the perfect timing of it for the collision.

 

Did he do this sudden sharp movement on any of his previous quali laps?

[chrcol]

Why would it be a matter for the stewards? They shouldn’t intervene in incidents within a team.

 

I actually think its the other way, incidents between team mates shouldnt be ignored like they often seem to be.

[New Britain]

It wasn’t any sort of banzai move. Hamilton had a super run on Russell (thanks to Russell’s messed up final two corners and the slipstream) and George moved over. Hamilton just literally kept driving straight on a straight into an area where there wasn’t a car.

George should be aware of cars around him at all times.

 

It seems that some drivers have become accustomed to having the pit-wall inform them when a car is approaching from behind and lost a sense of their own responsibility.

[chrcol]

Since people seem to be struggling for a clip, the one I watched is here.

 

https://www.skysport...prix-qualifying

 

Russel was weaving even before the sharp move.

 

Shocking communication from Merc to not see Lewis on their tracker, and Russell was probably lucky to get off with a warning, by the fact was his team mate.

[New Britain]

Why would it be a matter for the stewards? They shouldn’t intervene in incidents within a team.

 

The problem is that there are both a drivers' championship and a teams' championship. The teams often say that the teams' championship is more important, but the media have bigged up the drivers' title, and it seems that as a result the stewards give priority to drivers' 'rights' over teams' 'rights'.

 

[flyboym3]

It seems that some drivers have become accustomed to having the pit-wall inform them when a car is approaching from behind and lost a sense of their own responsibility.

Fans too, its amazing how many think we are watching remote control racing cars.

[P123]

I have no idea how anyone can blame Russel in any way whatsoever. Dude had a frantic lap with letting other cars go past, hit the gas on the straight watching the Ferrari. And Russell was in the elimination zone, he was focused on getting in a banker lap. As far as I am aware nobody has mentioned any case in Formula 1 history where any driver has overtaken his teammate in the eliminate zone doing his final qualifying lap. George had no reason at all to expect his teammate or any other car doing a banzai move at that point, hence what happened happened. From all indication George had no idea Lewis was coming and did not even see him. 

And if he did, should he just have aborted his only chance to go through to Q3 to avoid being jumped by his own teammate who had essentially already made Q3? I think this question is irrelevant if George never saw him, but even if Russel did I think the onus should be on Lewis to back off, not George. If GS had pulled that move on Lewis I am sure he would have been accused of being selfish for not backing off, and also people would question the purpose of trying to jump his teammate and ruin both drivers laps.

This was not a race where GS must expect to have someone try to overtake him.

 

Well of course George didn't see him, but that's not an excuse.  Otherwise nobody would ever be dinged for blocking or moving over on another car.  There was no banzai move.  Entirely your imagination.  An imagination that led you to wonder what would be the views were the roles reversed- well Lewis would be roundly criticised for not paying attention to his mirrors, especially after a "frantic" aborted lap.

[Lesky]

Lewis Hamilton needs to apologize to George Russell for their clash, according to Nico Rosberg

 

https://www.sportske...g-nico-rosberg?

[PayasYouRace]

I get the point, but also the mirrors are there for a reason.

 

The problem for Russell is the sudden sharp movement, and the the perfect timing of it for the collision.

 

Did he do this sudden sharp movement on any of his previous quali laps?

 

His sudden sharp movement was typical of popping out of the slipstream of Sainz.

 

Still, while the mirrors are there for a reason, no top F1 driver is going to be using them when starting a flying lap in qualifying and getting in the zone. Especially a driver who is under pressure to get a good lap in or be eliminated. If you put yourself in George's position you can understand that.

Hence, it's just one of those badly timed collisions where both drivers were expecting something else to happen. 

[SophieB]

His sudden sharp movement was typical of popping out of the slipstream of Sainz.
 
Still, while the mirrors are there for a reason, no top F1 driver is going to be using them when starting a flying lap in qualifying and getting in the zone. Especially a driver who is under pressure to get a good lap in or be eliminated. If you put yourself in George's position you can understand that.
Hence, it's just one of those badly timed collisions where both drivers were expecting something else to happen.

Yeah, Jon Noble’s article seems convincing.
 

As the team advised a then very slow Russell to go to 'Strat 2' engine mode, the Briton asked if there was "anyone else" he needed to be aware of.
Having got no response to that question beyond another Strat 2 reminder, he committed to trying to pick up Sainz's slipstream as he accelerated hard into the final corner.
But that push to start his lap coincided with Hamilton unexpectedly arriving quickly behind him, who was finishing his preparation lap and was getting ready to go himself.

He had also let both Verstappen and Sainz through, and there had been no communication from the ]Mercedes pitwall about Russell ahead of him being on a preparation lap now rather than a flat-out effort.
As Hamilton hit the throttle to take the final corner, his team-mate pulled across in front of him, and the pair found themselves running down the start-finish straight together.

Russell was unaware that Hamilton was anywhere near him and moved to the right slightly to try to benefit from Sainz's slipstream.
But in moving right, Hamilton most likely presumed his team-mate was moving across to let him through, so had no hesitation squeezing into the gap on the left.

The collision happened as Russell moved back left to take the racing line for the first corner, with only avoiding action from Hamilton in taking to the grass helping avoid what could have been a sizeable incident.
With neither driver having had a single message about the presence of the other driver, Wolff was clear that the fault lay with the team.

 
https://www.autospor...ision/10478167/

[F1 Mike]

I'm baffled that there's so much to say on this. The team were napping and didn't see what was unfolding.
As New Britain suggests above, the drivers assumed the team would be nannying them through via radio if there was about to be a problem so they were also napping.

Simple lack of communication and surely a short discussion?

[krea]

Looks like a typical Russel move, in Baku he was cheered for his subpar race craft though. 

[Ali_G]

Why would it be a matter for the stewards? They shouldn’t intervene in incidents within a team.

Utter nonsense. What rule says this?

[Primo]

It seems that some drivers have become accustomed to having the pit-wall inform them when a car is approaching from behind and lost a sense of their own responsibility.

Exactly! At Monaco and similar you might be excused if your team fail to inform you, but on a track where you can see everything the responsibility is your own.

Since George had the start of his lap compromised he knew he was slower than normal. Looking into the mirrors should be an instinct.

[chrcol]

His sudden sharp movement was typical of popping out of the slipstream of Sainz.

 

Still, while the mirrors are there for a reason, no top F1 driver is going to be using them when starting a flying lap in qualifying and getting in the zone. Especially a driver who is under pressure to get a good lap in or be eliminated. If you put yourself in George's position you can understand that.

Hence, it's just one of those badly timed collisions where both drivers were expecting something else to happen. 

 

He was never right behind Sainz, and immediately moved back after the collision.  I have never seen anyone start a flying lap that way, and I guess he hadnt done on it is his previous laps in the session either.