George Russell would like the first corner of Monza to be changed
While he made the most of the chicane at turns 1 and 2 of the Monza circuit to win a battle against Esteban Ocon, George Russell explained that he would like to see it changed.
George Russell took a strong fifth place, last Sunday, at Monza, behind the four dominant cars of the weekend (Red Bull and Ferrari). The British driver also showed his performance in qualifying, taking fourth place on the starting grid.
During the race, a 5-second penalty was imposed on him by the officials for taking the escape route at the first turn. A penalty without consequences at the finish since he finished with nearly 20 seconds ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Exiting the pit lane, the Mercedes driver found himself side by side with Esteban Ocon in the first chicane of the circuit. However, he cut across the famous run-off area and won the battle. The guilty driver did not hesitate to react after the race and declared that he knew the risk of receiving a penalty for such an action. “I knew I had to maximize the exit lap and I came out of the pits just behind or alongside Ocon. […] So I approached turn 1 very aggressively, knowing there was a risk of missing it, and that’s what happened,” Russell admits.
« I would like this turn to be modified »
The former Williams driver explained his choice by his desire at that moment in the race not to be hindered by the Alpine and to keep a chance to catch up with the leading riders ahead.
If the situation was to his advantage on Sunday, he believes that this turn should be reviewed in the future. « In Monza, it’s a bit of a shame because it’s like a “get out of jail” card. And it gives the drivers, especially when they are fighting, the possibility of missing the turn. So I would like to see this turn changed in the future. »
So, does this chicane, also used by Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez during the Grand Prix for a similar kind of overtaking, offer too much leeway to the drivers?
