A pit lane queue dispute between George Russell and Arvid Lindblad overshadowed the opening of today’s second free practice session, briefly sidelining the Mercedes driver before he recovered to claim third place.
As drivers filed out of the pit lane during the early phase of FP2, Lindblad was making his way down the fast lane when Russell attempted to move in ahead of him. The Mercedes car made contact with the left side of Lindblad’s front wing, leaving it damaged and forcing the young driver to return to his garage for repairs.
Russell wasted no time taking to the radio to place the blame on Lindblad, a response that drew a sharp rebuttal. Lindblad calmly pointed out that, as the car already occupying the fast lane, he held priority, and that Russell’s move was the one that caused the collision.
Stewards are yet to formally comment on the incident, but pit lane etiquette is well-established: the fast lane belongs to the car already in it.
Despite losing track time to the garage stop, Russell bounced back impressively, setting the third-fastest time of the session with a lap of 1:20.049. Lindblad, undeterred by the early disruption, went on to place eighth with a time of 1:20.922 – less than a second off the pace and a strong showing for the young driver.
The exchange is sure to raise eyebrows in the paddock, not least for the contrast in how each driver handled it: a seasoned Formula 1 race winner quick to point fingers, and a rookie who responded by citing the rulebook.
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