After the massive debacle in handing out of penalties, George Russell revealed the key reason behind why the rules haven’t been changed.
George Russell (Via: Imago)
Since the race in Austria, the F1 paddock has been enveloped by the discussion regarding the changes in racing guidelines. Moreover, over the past two weekends in Austin and Mexico, this discussion has ramped up tremendously as Lando Norris and Max Verstappen have been battling over the race track dangerously.
Despite the call for a change in rules, George Russell, the Grand Prix Driver’s Association (GPDA) president, revealed that they weren’t because one driver did not agree to a change happening mid-season. The discussion around racing guidelines had been ramping up in the paddock as FIA was blamed for inconsistency in handing out the penalties.
This supposedly led to a vote by the drivers on matters regarding their stance on whether the rules should be changed before the end of the season. Subsequently, the Mercedes driver revealed that 19 out of the 20 drivers had agreed to a change. However, due to a veto by a single driver, a change could not be implemented mid-season.
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I think the stewards are totally on board with what needs to change. Our view is, I think the biggest discussion is they wanted to wait until ’25, so it’s something consistent through this year. I would say 19 out of 20 drivers said, ‘well, if it’s incorrect, make the change today’George Russell said (via autosport)
The Mexican GP saw drivers going over the line multiple times. Max Verstappen was handed 20 seconds worth of penalties which hampered his race and saw him finish P6. This helped FIA set a precedent that reckless driving would not be ignored over the race track.
George Russell compares the Lando Norris and Max Verstappen incident to the infamous Brazil 2021 clash
Similarities from the clash between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen’s fight prompted people to look over to the 2021 title fight. That year, the Dutchman was in a close battle for the championship with Lewis Hamilton.
A major flashpoint between the title titans had come at the 2021 Brazillian GP, where Verstappen had driven his rival off-track in a bid to save his place. The Norris-Verstappen incident drew a resemblance to the 2021 race in Interlagos, George Russell remarked.
You can argue the first one was maybe 60-40. The last one, I’ve not seen anything like that since probably Brazil [2021].George Russell said in the same interview
Red Bull had a torrid weekend in Mexico. Ferrari surpassed them in the constructor’s standings, which could be attributed to the large disparity in results between Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Alarm bells must start ringing at the Red Bull HQ before it’s too late.
