George Russell has defended Formula 1 and the FIA over the technical regulations that have divided drivers and fans alike in 2026.
The FIA has introduced a series of enhancements to the 2026 technical regulations for the Miami Grand Prix to address closing-speed differentials and superclipping issues witnessed in the first three races.
Drivers and fans have been divided over the new rules since their introduction, with Russell one of the new regulations’ most staunch defenders.
Ahead of this weekend’s race, drivers continue to have different opinions over what should be done next.
On a potential return to V8 and V10 power, Russell urged caution, highlighting the difficulty in overtaking.
“I mean obviously there’s a lot to talk about going back to a V8, I think that would obviously be pretty cool, sustainable fuels, you know the sustainable fuel topic is a fantastic one and I think it would be great for Formula 1, lighter cars, he said to media in Miami or Thursday, including Motorsport Week.
“I think we need to find ways to reduce the weight of the cars even more because I think that has been a positive impact in terms of the racing and the drivability, being able to fight close with one another but still keep in a way that we can have these overtakes because if you look at the glory days of Formula 1 20 years ago where everyone says they were the best cars ever and I still agree they were probably the coolest cars we ever saw.
“In the early 2000s there was no overtaking at all, so it’s something we need to remember and we need to think about for the next era.”
George Russell excited for “lessons learned” from 2026 regulations
Russell defended the FIA for creating the regulations and is excited for the the next set of regulations, hopeful the 2026 rules will positively impact them.
“Well obviously we’re the ones who have to drive the thing but equally we are quite selfish as well as drivers and what may be the best and coolest and fastest cars for us to drive may not be the most exciting from a racing perspective.
“As I said, if you take the V10 era from the early 2000s that is probably a really great base of what a driver wants from a race car but the races were boring and there was no overtaking and there weren’t as many fans following the sport.
“And the truth is F1 and FIA, they aren’t idiots, they know what they’re doing and the fans are loving the racing at the moment, rightly or wrongly, the racing has been exciting so I think we should be involved, we should help shape it but I think there’s been a lot of lessons learned and I think the next set is going to be really quite amazing.”
Russell also downplayed concerns that the Miami enhancements do not go far enough, delivering an honest assessment of their potential.
“I think the biggest concern was lifting coast on a quali lap, that’s now gone. Losing major speed at the end of the straight on a quali lap, that’s now gone. Reducing the closing speed we’ve overtaken, that’s now gone.
“There were suggestions of having 200kW from the engine, we may as well go and race Formula 2 if that’s the case, if that’s what people want. So from what we’ve said, what we’ve wanted, the FIA have achieved what the complaints were about.
“Now of course there’s always going to be people who aren’t happy about it and especially people further down the order but we’ve told them what we’re not happy about and they’ve gone out and changed the regs and they’ve achieved what we’ve asked.You can tell me after what they’re saying, we don’t like about it but maybe we have to tick the boxes that they said we had to do that. “”
Russell’s defence of the regulations in their previous form and hesitance for the sport to go back to V8 or V10 power uses logic that cannot be argued with. His stance post race in Miami after racing with the new changes will be intriguing to see.
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