Starting position penalties for Russell, Gasly and Ocon
British Mercedes driver George Russell has been moved back two places on the grid for the São Paulo Grand Prix.
The 25-year-old last year's winner will therefore start the race on Sunday (18:00 CET/Sky) on the circuit in Interlagos from eighth place. Russell had already finished sixth in qualifying on Friday - the last sprint race of the year is scheduled for Saturday. He received the penalty for obstructing French Alpine driver Pierre Gasly in the pit lane during the knockout elimination.
However, Gasly and his compatriot and teammate Esteban Ocon were also handed a two-place grid penalty for the same offense. Gasly moves from grid position 13 to 15, Ocon from 12 to 14.
Despite the starting position penalties, George Russell is still set to compete in GP Brazil, having qualified sixth for the final sprint race of the year. Due to obstructing Pierre Gasly in the pit lane during the knockout elimination, Russell will start the race from eighth position, while both Gasly and his teammate Ocon will also serve two-place grid penalties in Formula 1, dropping to positions 15 and 14 respectively.
Source: www.dpa.com
