Motorsport Week
  • Formula 1
    • 2023 Formula 1 Calendar
    • 2023 Formula 1 Team/Driver Line-Up
    • 2023 Formula 1 Driver Penalty Points
    • 2022 Session Results
    • 2022 Championship Standings
  • Formula E
    • 2022/23 Formula E Standings
    • 2022/23 Formula E Calendar
    • 2022/23 Formula E Team/Driver Line-up
  • IndyCar
    • 2023 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2023 IndyCar Driver Line-Up
    • 2022 Championship Standings
  • WRC
    • 2023 WRC Calendar
    • 2023 WRC Standings
    • 2023 WRC Driver Line-up
  • MotoGP
    • 2023 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2023 MotoGP Team/Rider Line-Up
    • 2022 Championship Standings
  • WEC
    • 2023 WEC Calendar
    • 2023 WEC Hypercar Team/Driver Line-up
  • More
    • IMSA
      • 2023 IMSA GTP Team/Driver Line-up
      • 2023 IMSA Calendar
    • Formula 2
      • 2023 Formula 2 Race Calendar
      • 2023 Formula 2 Driver Line-up
    • Formula 3
      • 2023 Formula 3 Race Calendar
      • 2023 Formula 3 Driver Line-up
    • DTM
    • WSeries
    • Technical Insight
    • Galleries
    • About/Contact
    • Privacy Policy
LIVE
No Result
View All Result
  • Formula 1
    • 2023 Formula 1 Calendar
    • 2023 Formula 1 Team/Driver Line-Up
    • 2023 Formula 1 Driver Penalty Points
    • 2022 Session Results
    • 2022 Championship Standings
  • Formula E
    • 2022/23 Formula E Standings
    • 2022/23 Formula E Calendar
    • 2022/23 Formula E Team/Driver Line-up
  • IndyCar
    • 2023 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2023 IndyCar Driver Line-Up
    • 2022 Championship Standings
  • WRC
    • 2023 WRC Calendar
    • 2023 WRC Standings
    • 2023 WRC Driver Line-up
  • MotoGP
    • 2023 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2023 MotoGP Team/Rider Line-Up
    • 2022 Championship Standings
  • WEC
    • 2023 WEC Calendar
    • 2023 WEC Hypercar Team/Driver Line-up
  • More
    • IMSA
      • 2023 IMSA GTP Team/Driver Line-up
      • 2023 IMSA Calendar
    • Formula 2
      • 2023 Formula 2 Race Calendar
      • 2023 Formula 2 Driver Line-up
    • Formula 3
      • 2023 Formula 3 Race Calendar
      • 2023 Formula 3 Driver Line-up
    • DTM
    • WSeries
    • Technical Insight
    • Galleries
    • About/Contact
    • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
Motorsport Week
Home Single Seater Formula 1

Russell: ‘Shame’ to see teams prioritise performance over safety

by Fergal Walsh
7 months ago
A A
2
Russell: ‘Shame’ to see teams prioritise performance over safety
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

George Russell says it’s a “shame” that some Formula 1 teams are prioritising safety over performance in relation to bouncing cars.

One of the main topics of conversation in the last number of weeks has been the bouncing 2022 challengers, with the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix posing a big obstacle for the cars.

Mercedes’ Russell and team-mate Lewis Hamilton both complained of back pain throughout the event, while other teams have also commented on its severity.

This year, the new ground effect regulations have seen teams run their cars as close as possible to the ground in order to create downforce.

RelatedPosts

Has Red Bull hinted at 2023 F1 livery change?

Has Red Bull hinted at 2023 F1 livery change?

49 mins ago
Ex-Formula 1 driver disputes Mercedes’ decision to let Vowles leave

Ex-Formula 1 driver disputes Mercedes’ decision to let Vowles leave

2 hours ago

The FIA issued a Technical Directive before the Canadian Grand Prix in an effort to minimise how badly the cars bounce on the straights, with Montreal effectively used as a data-gathering weekend.

While some teams were in support of the Directive, others, including Red Bull were less receptive, leading Russell to state that the team cares more about performance than driver well-being.

“There’s obviously a lot of mixed agendas here from different teams and drivers,” Russell said. 

“And we’ve heard it from Carlos [Sainz] at times, and Checo [Perez] and Max [Verstappen] earlier in the season, how bad it’s been. 

“But now that their performance seems to be strong, they obviously don’t want changes because it can only hinder them. 

“So it is obviously a bit of a shame to see performance prioritised over safety. But you know, there’s no doubt in Baku, I could see my pit board, but I couldn’t read my pit board because I was bouncing around so much. 

“I think I saw a video of Lance on one of the laps, struggling to change the buttons on the steering wheel, because you visibly just saw how much the car was shaken around, how stiff it was, and everything. 

“So, you know, we’re all competitive animals here in this sport, and we all want to win. But yeah, we can’t put our bodies at risk before any of that.”

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff addressed claims that Mercedes is only lobbying for change due to the fact its car is lacking in pace, stating that the problem is a “design issue of ground effect cars” rather than a sole challenge for Mercedes.

Tags: F1MercedesRussell
Share748Tweet468Share187

Related Posts

Has Red Bull hinted at 2023 F1 livery change?
Formula 1

Has Red Bull hinted at 2023 F1 livery change?

49 mins ago
Ex-Formula 1 driver disputes Mercedes’ decision to let Vowles leave
Formula 1

Ex-Formula 1 driver disputes Mercedes’ decision to let Vowles leave

2 hours ago
House of Lords peer hits out at ‘deeply unprofessional’ Ben Sulayem
Formula 1

House of Lords peer hits out at ‘deeply unprofessional’ Ben Sulayem

5 hours ago
Load More

Comments 2

  1. D says:
    7 months ago

    Wow Mercedes REALLY wants to slow the leaders down. What an embarrassment! “Teams prefer performance over driver safety”???then raise YOUR cars because obviously the Merc is the most affected by bouncing

    Reply
  2. Enzo says:
    7 months ago

    At this point, I’d rather see F1 become a spec series with ultra-technologically advanced cars and amazing performance, so we can see who the best driver actually is and avoid all of the complaining from team bosses and drivers.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Popular Articles

Two Sky Sports F1 pundits dropped ahead of 2023 season
Formula 1

Two Sky Sports F1 pundits dropped ahead of 2023 season

January 25, 2023
Wolff: I live in Horner’s head rent-free
Formula 1

Wolff: I live in Horner’s head rent-free

January 22, 2023

2023 F1 Car Launches

TeamCar NameDate
HaasVF-2331 January*
Red BullRB1903 February
WilliamsFW4506 February*
Alfa RomeoC4307 February
AlphaTauriAT0411 February
Aston MartinAMR2313 February
McLarenTBA13 February
FerrariTBA14 February
MercedesW1415 February
AlpineA52316 February
*Livery reveal

Upcoming Races

#EventLocationDate
-Pre-Season TestingSakhir 23-25 February
1Bahrain GPSakhir05 March
2Saudi Arabian GPJeddah19 March
3Australian GPMelbourne02 April
4Azerbaijan GPBaku30 April

Click here for the full 2023 F1 calendar

Drivers’  Standings

#DriverPts
Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez
Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz
George Russell
Lewis Hamilton
Esteban Ocon
Pierre Gasly
Lando Norris
Oscar Piastri

Click here for full Drivers’ Standings

Follow Motorsport Week

Motorsport Week

© 2023 Motorsport Media Services Ltd

Other Links

  • About & Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Motorsport Monday

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Home
  • Formula 1
    • Latest News
    • Standings
    • 2023 F1 Calendar
    • Team/Driver Line-Up
    • Session Results
    • Driver Penalty Points
  • Formula E
    • Latest News
    • 2022/23 Formula E Standings
    • 2022/23 Formula E Calendar
    • Session Results
  • MotoGP
    • Latest News
    • Standings
    • Calendar
  • WRC
    • Latest News
    • Standings
    • Calendar
  • IndyCar
    • Latest News
    • Calendar
    • Standings
  • WEC
    • Latest News
    • Calendar
  • Live Updates
  • Other
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • WSeries
    • DTM
    • IMSA
  • Galleries
  • About/Contact
  • Privacy Policy

© 2023 Motorsport Media Services Ltd

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
X