Russell doesn’t think he will win a race this year
Present at the press conference, George Russell was questioned about the Miami weekend, his expectations for the season, and the car regulations.
Accompanied by four other drivers, George Russell participated in the traditional press conference. The British driver recalled that he enjoys coming back here for the atmosphere, South Beach’s beach, and a beautiful descent along the coast.
He also emphasized the difficulty of adapting to this track where heat and humidity have an impact on the body. « It’s very difficult, for sure. But I think it’s exciting when it’s challenging. No one wants an easy race and it gives you the opportunity to do something better than others, but it’s true that when you’re sitting in this car for almost two hours, you’re sweating buckets. »
He will not change his driving style after his collision with Verstappen
George Russell commented on his collision with Max Verstappen during the sprint race in Baku. When questioned by journalists, he assured that he would continue to race as he always has. “I took a chance, I did it, and I moved on. It’s clear that he was very upset, but it’s racing and these things happen. We’re all here to compete, and that’s what matters to everyone.”
For him, it will have no impact on the relationship he has with the current double world champion in the paddock, not failing to deliver a compliment about him. If he passes by, I will welcome him and say hello, and I’m sure we will shake hands when we cross paths. For me, it’s ancient history and it’s behind us. Yes, my point of view on him is still the same, I still respect him, I still think he’s a great driver, and obviously things have always been said in the heat of the moment.
Lewis Hamilton’s teammate also regretted not being consulted by the FIA regarding the reduction of DRS zones. Reminding that DRS is there to facilitate overtaking, he believes that the governing bodies did not learn from last weekend. It is always exciting when you have these significant DRS advantages and it gives you the opportunity to fight, but clearly in Baku, it was way too short.
The main competitors of Mercedes are Aston Martin and Ferrari.
If Russell asserts that Mercedes will improve over the course of the season, he still believes that the Red Bulls are too advanced in their design to come and compete. He expects a three-way battle with the Aston Martin and Ferrari drivers for the third place on the podium: “Each race we participate in is very tight between us in qualifying. The pace is very close in the race and if it were a fight for the win, it would probably be one of the most exciting seasons we have seen in a very long time. And it’s really unfortunate that there are two other cars well ahead! So yes, forget about those two and watch the race for third place. It may be a little more exciting. But yes, it’s a challenge. I think in all sports, we never want to see someone dominate.”
The 25-year-old driver also finds that cars are increasingly struggling to follow each other, which makes overtaking more difficult. According to him, the new car regulations are not unrelated to this: “The F1 created these regulations to facilitate overtaking and following, and since they were introduced, each team has naturally moved away from their initial intentions as the car develops. Each car on the grid is therefore very different from what it was supposed to be, let’s say, 18 months or two years ago. And yes, I think overtaking is slowly becoming more difficult, but also because the slipstream is not as wide with these new cars, so it’s slowly moving in the wrong direction for overtaking.”
If he had nothing to say after Charles Leclerc congratulated himself on the great visibility, what will the film with Brad Pitt about Formula 1 bring? The native of King’s Lynn revisited the issues of discussing with the FIA and F1, wishing that drivers could be able to follow and fight each other, as they did in karting where there was no aerodynamics.
Although this new regulation has been beneficial for Formula 1, according to him «, the sport took a very good turn for the better when these new cars were introduced ». He now hopes that the authorities will move on to the next step ».
