Fernando Alonso pinpoints major ‘concern’ after Russell near-miss

Formula 1’s big return after its mandatory summer shutdown saw the build-up to the Dutch Grand Prix punctuated by spins, crashes, and some clench-worthy near-misses — including one in FP3 between George Russell and Fernando Alonso.

After qualifying, Alonso had a chance to pinpoint the major “concern” he had with the incident, honing in on the speed differentials that can make practice so tricky.

Fernando Alonso highlights recharge concern in Russell incident

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

The 2025 Dutch Grand Prix represents the return from Formula 1’s mandatory summer shutdown period, and it has been quite a chaotic one as the field rediscovers its footing for the final 10-race swing of the year.

Lewis Hamilton lost control of his Ferrari in a handful of spins while Lance Stroll collided with the barriers twice, knocking him out of both FP2 and qualifying. George Russell narrowly avoided a collision in the pit lane as Oscar Piastri darted back into the slow lane after realising he needed to pull forward to make space for Lando Norris behind.

And in the closing moments of FP3, Russell had yet another near-miss — one that the FIA fined Mercedes for.

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Fernando Alonso was on a fast lap around Zandvoort as the weekend’s final hour of practice ticked to a close, and it appeared as though he darted behind the Mercedes of George Russell in search of a tow that could net him even more speed.

But Russell moved right, as if he were about to dip into the pits. With Alonso alongside him at that point, the Spaniard was nearly squeezed into the wall. No contact was made, as Russell decided against pulling into the pits, and as Alonso aborted his flying lap as he dived into the pit lane.

After the incident, Alonso radioed to his team, “They don’t look in their mirrors.”

The FIA agreed that blame for the incident should fall on the shoulders of the Mercedes team; after the session, the stewards ultimately handed the squad a €7,500 fine for failing to inform Russell that another car was approaching on a flying lap. Russell, too, was hit with a warning.

“It was clear to us that Car 63 had not been warned of the fact that Car 14 was approaching and that it was on a push lap,” the stewards’ decision read.

“The team admitted this at the hearing and acknowledged that they ought to have warned the driver of Car 63 but did not do so.

“Their failure created a dangerous situation where both cars had to take evasive action to avoid a collision.

“We accept that the driver of Car 63 had no way of knowing that Car 14 was approaching, particularly given the nature of the circuit and the fact that Turn 14 is a blind corner.

“Merely looking at the mirrors would not have prevented what occurred.

“We accordingly imposed a fine of €7,500 on the team for failing to warn their driver appropriately.

“Nevertheless, given the nature of the circuit and the slow speed at which he was travelling, it would have been prudent for Car 63 to have kept more to the right of the track to leave space for faster cars coming around that corner.

“We also administer a warning to the driver for this.”

Both drivers headed from the stewards room to the pit lane, where they both climbed into their cars for a high-speed qualifying session that saw Russell land in fifth, with Alonso in 10th.

When the field filtered through the media pen after the session, PlanetF1.com asked Alonso to comment on the incident.

“I mean, it was an unfortunate moment in time, and I think the team didn’t inform him that I was coming,” the Spaniard replied.

“The difference in speed on these recharging laps is always a concern for all drivers.”

Read next: Dutch GP: Piastri shocks Norris to claim pole as Stroll crashes again