George Russell frustrated by the race departure being postponed

The start of the Monaco Grand Prix was delayed by 65 minutes after heavy rain began pouring down at 3 p.m. On the starting grid, the few drops were a first warning that the race director did not take lightly.

“It’s always a difficult position for the race director,” George Russell said. “I think we would have started the race directly, maybe have 20 laps to go, and then signal the red flag when the rain arrived instead of delaying and delaying the start, but it’s easier to say in hindsight.”

Should we run in the rain?

Indeed, at this time of year, in this region of the south of France, the rains are mostly stormy. The first intense heat arrives suddenly, as was the case on Friday and Saturday with temperatures reaching around 35°C. This is how storms like the one the race experienced in the middle of the afternoon are formed. This torrential downpour even caused a power outage, paralyzing the race control systems. (Source: Panne – The power outage explains the delayed start and rolling starts.)

There was a time when drivers were “let loose” in races despite dreadful weather conditions, like at Spa-Francorchamps in 1998. Modern cars don’t seem to be designed to withstand races in such precarious conditions.

However, in 1998, the start caused one of the biggest mass crashes that Formula 1 has ever seen, and even race incidents that could have been dramatic. This frustrates both the drivers and the spectators, as seen in Spa (once again) last year, but it concerns the safety of these drivers in particular.

So should we reconsider the way races are organized? A discussion should take place on the sidelines of the next race in Baku. « I suppose it would be good to understand everyone’s point of view and understand why they postponed the start, because I think everyone was ready to start at the scheduled time », says the young British driver from Mercedes.