George Russell has urged the FIA to take action against the “get out of jail free card,” which he ironically uses the most to his advantage. He believes that drivers who leave the track to gain an advantage to overtake the racers in front should face harsher penalties because now it just seems as though they have been let free with a simple five-second penalty. He believes that such a penalty isn’t enough as drivers can easily gain this time after pulling off the move.
Russell made his point to the FIA by citing two moments in the 2023 season when he himself used the “get out of jail free card.” As quoted by racingnews365.com, he said, “Monza, for example, I came out of the pits, went over the limit knowing I have got that get out of jail free card and the same in Barcelona. You don’t want to have a get-out-of-jail-free card, so the FIA needs to find a way to avoid that“.
Lando Norris was one of the drivers who called out Russell for his hypocrisy. The 24-year-old didn’t understand how Russell brought up such an issue when he used the same rule to his advantage on several occasions. However, Russell defended himself by stating that the rules are currently the same for everyone.
He stated that only if the FIA changes the rules can they avoid such a situation. Other than at Monza and in Barcelona, Russell also used the same technique at COTA to gain an advantage over his rivals.
As per the Mercedes driver, the design of only these three circuits makes it feasible to use the “get out of jail free card.” It remains to be seen whether the FIA will change the rules or not. Russell is now focusing on the upcoming 2024 season.
George Russell and Mercedes turn their attention to 2024
George Russell and Mercedes had a disappointing 2023 season, even though the team finished second in the Constructors’ Championship. The Silver Arrows failed to register a win for the first time in a whole season.
As for Russell, he struggled even more than his seven-time champion teammate, Lewis Hamilton. The 25-year-old finished all the way down to eighth in the championship with 175 points, 59 points behind third-placed Hamilton.
The staggering gap with Red Bull was what led to Mercedes’ disappointing campaign. With just 409 points to their name, Mercedes could not even score half of Red Bull’s 860.
However, the Silver Arrows seem committed to righting the wrongs in 2024. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has already explained how his side will change everything they can for the 2024 season. These include the aerodynamics, the chassis, and the suspension, among several other things.
Similarly to Wolff, Russell has also stated that he expects the W15 to be a “clean slate.” Although the 25-year-old stated that he expects Mercedes to make significant improvements in 2024, he still expects Red Bull to be the favorite.
Russell believes that no matter how much they improve over the winter, catching up to Red Bull will still be a tall order for them. Therefore, it seems that Max Verstappen and Red Bull will once again be the favorites to win the title in 2024.
