George Russell has pondered whether cost cap and aero testing regulations ought to be stricter in Formula 1 amid Red Bull’s continued grip atop the standings.
The F1 field has converged since the cost cap regulations were introduced in 2021, with the 20 cars spread by little over a second under qualifying conditions.
Conrtolled spending and a sliding scale of time allowance on aerodynamic development depending on the Constructors’ standing have also tightened the field.
However, with Red Bull winning the last two Constructors’ and Drivers’ titles at a canter, Russell wonders if the regulations could be tightened even further.
“I think the changes that we’re seeing in the regulations with the cost cap, with the wind-tunnel time, it is going to bring the field closer together, but does it need to be more aggressive?,” Russell told media ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
“I don’t know, because at the moment, nobody is catching Red Bull either with these things in place, but we just need to focus on ourselves, and keep doing the best job possible.
“We need to try and bring ourselves further up the order, but also being realistic that Red Bull is a long way ahead of everybody, and it may not be until 2026 that they have a real challenge for the title.”
Since Russell’s remarks, McLaren and Lando Norris became the second team/driver pairing to dethrone Max Verstappen and Red Bull during the opening six rounds.
In comparison, it took until Round 15 at Singapore for a non-Red Bull driver to claim victory courtesy of Carlos Sainz.
Still, despite the likes of McLaren and even Ferrari making gains on Red Bull this year, the Milton Keynes-based outfit is odds on for a third successive double title.
Whether Red Bull can be beaten next year remains to be seen, but regardless the team will be considered the dominant force in this era of regulations.
Russell acknowledges this as an ordinary facet of modern F1, which competing teams have to get used to.
“When you join a team like Mercedes, we’re all here to win, and that is the same for Ferrari and McLaren as well,” he said.
“It was the same for Red Bull during the Mercedes dominance era, and unfortunately, this is Formula 1.
“You always see dominance, if you look at 30 years ago, you had Williams dominating, you had McLaren dominating, then it was Ferrari who dominated and then Red Bull, then Mercedes.”
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