George Russell has a point to prove after the way the last race in Australia got over. He was leading for a few laps, and suddenly due to a power unit failure, he had to endure a DNF in Melbourne. Russell came very close to paying a penalty before FIA came to his rescue. The governing body introduced a new rule that allows drivers to use four engines in a single season.
Hence, the Mercedes ace won’t need to worry about having a single engine as a spare before racing in Baku, Azerbaijan. Now he has got two more units till he covers the rest of the 20 GPs. However, the same governing body has introduced a new law that is irritating drivers, including George Russell. The new rule asks for a 100-meter smaller DRS zone in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The second activation zone will get shorter, but the first one in Turn 8 will remain the same. But looks like Russell has some serious issues with the new rule.
George Russell Expects To Get Involved In Discussions On New Rules
Despite getting the advantage from other rules, the young Mercedes driver feels that after considering all the new F1 regulations, it has already been difficult for the cars to overtake. But this new rule suggests that FIA has taken zero inputs from the drivers. It is disappointing for Russell not to get included in the discussion. The 25-year-old Russell is the sole director of the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA) after the retirement of Sebastian Vettel. George Russell says, “It is only 100 meters, so that it won’t make much of a difference. But the direction is not correct.”
Russell makes sure that there will be discussions around this new rule on Friday’s driver’s briefing. However, the point George Russell is trying to make here is taking the driver’s input is essential. The young Englishman says that at the end of the day, “We’re all in this together. We want the best for the sport.” George Russell claims that FIA has introduced this new rule based on ancient DRS information. It is better if the drivers get to share their opinion, and together the F1 community can come up with new rules. But the drivers are not getting enough scope to influence these new rules. Apparently, he describes the Friday briefings as not the ideal place to discuss broader issues. As GPDA director Russell wants to be involved in the discussions concerning the drivers. He speaks on behalf of all the driver’s wishes for involvement in such talks.
FIA And F1 Drivers Are Not On The Same Page Regarding New Rule
There were four DRS zones in the Melbourne track. According to the new rule, the Bahrain track will also undergo a change in one of its activation zones. This new rule emerged to make it more challenging for the drivers to overtake. According to FIA officials, the drivers have it too easy to overtake each other around those DRS zones.
The drivers also create a big gap after accelerating from there on is not entertaining enough for the fans. It must get more challenging around the DRS zones to overtake to attract the fans more. It did not sit well with most drivers, including Mercedes driver George Russell.
