FIA announces a late penalty for Russell along with an added punishment.

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The second-to-last round of the 2024 Formula 1 season ended controversially at Lusail International Circuit, where Russell received a five-second penalty. The Mercedes driver had an eventful weekend in Qatar. He was initially disappointed to miss out on pole position after Saturday’s qualifying but then thrilled to start from the front row due to Max Verstappen receiving a peculiar one-place grid penalty. Throughout the weekend, tensions ran high between Russell and four-time champion Verstappen, leading up to an incident that saw Verstappen receive an FIA penalty for driving unnecessarily slowly, which hindered Russell’s performance. Despite these challenges during Sunday’s main race event, Russell finished fourth but was later penalized with a five-second deduction for failing to keep within ten car lengths behind the Safety Car. As part of this infraction, governing body officials decided he would also incur his first penalty point over a rolling twelve-month period. In their official findings presented by FIA Stewards via documentation read: “Reviewing data gathered through positioning/marshalling systems alongside calibrated video evidence confirmed Exhibit C63 — being recognised as more than adequate measure exceeding statutory distance thereby surpassing standardised metrics (approximately upwards beyond twenty vehicle registrations) vis-à-vis headway concession under present emergency caution limit guidance.”