George Russell Highlights Potential Huge Safety Issue With Current F1 Cars

The current generation of F1 cars have been received in a mostly positive manner. Mercedes driver George Russell, who is also a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, has now pointed out what could be a major safety issue with the current F1 cars while speaking to Motorsport

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I'm your host Dillon Shelley and first up on Formula World:

George Russell Highlights Potential Huge Safety Issue With Current F1 Cars

George started off by pointing out the big issue

“The big one [issue] is the weight. The weight is extraordinary. At the moment, the low-speed performance is not great”

He then explained why heavier cars aren’t safer

“We keep making these cars safer and safer, but obviously the heavier you make them when you have an impact it’s like crashing with a bus compared to a Smart Car”

“You’re going to have a greater impact if you’re going the same speed with a car that weighs 800-odd-kgs or over 900kgs at the start of a race, compared to 15 years ago when they were at 650kg”

He signed off by reiterating that this approach could render the F1 cars as unsafe

“I’m sure there’s analysis going on about striking that right balance because I don’t know where the line is drawn”

“If you just keep making it heavier, heavier, heavier, stronger, stronger, stronger – actually you get to a point where you cross over that [line] that too heavy is actually not safer”
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McLaren’s Lando Norris “hates driving the [current F1] cars compared to [the 2021 car]” [Racing News 365]

“They’re a different challenge. I wouldn’t say they’re as enjoyable as previous years’ cars”

“Just in terms of how comfortable they are and how much you can play around with hitting the kerbs and lines and stuff like that. You’re a bit more limited now”

Mercedes driver George Russell revealed that they’ve “been pretty clear now for about two months which targets [they] have to hit in terms of development” [Crash]

“I am pretty confident if we do achieve that, we will have a car that we can compete with Red Bull”

Audi Group co-ordinator of all motorsport activities and multiple 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Allan McNish recalled how when he “was with Toyota at Le Mans and then jumping into Formula 1, it was a completely different game” [Motorsport Magazine]

“That was 20 years ago. That was when budgets were unlimited and when engines were unlimited”

“The difference [now] between people that are fighting in the middle and to where you’re fighting for race victories, is a huge gulf”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc “would like to help talented young people [from karting], who don’t have the means, to emerge and make their dreams come true” [La Gazzetta dello Sport]

“But it is a project that takes time and which I therefore see as possible only in the future”

Williams driver Alex Albon feels that their “car has got some good characteristics in it” [Planet F1]

“At the same time, I definitely feel there are certain characteristics that are limiting us quite a lot”

“And if we could just get behind that we’ll make big steps forwards”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner explained that their technical director Adrian Newey “has been the conductor of the technical orchestra for all these years now” [Talking Bull]

“He is still very hands on. He works in a different way to perhaps other technical leaders”
Are the current generation of F1 cars too heavy?

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