“It won’t be entertaining for anyone”– George Russell insists too many penalties will spoil fun
“It won’t be entertaining for anyone”– George Russell wants the governing body to keep a low amount of penalties in F1 to maintain the fun.
In the last four races, the penalties by stewards have been flying down, with the latest being Lewis Hamilton’s 10-second penalty after a collision with Max Verstappen.
The collision between the two was classified as a racing incident, except for Red Bull. Seeing this, Williams’ George Russell wants to have fewer penalties to keep up the fun.
“That’s what we were arguing [the penalty],” he said when asked by Motorsport.com about his first-lap incident. “Rubbin’s racing, as they say, I think it’s always good for the fans and even for the drivers to have close, hard racing.
“So I think when there are so many penalties being dished out, it does change the views of the drivers slightly, how you approach it, and nobody wants to sit there, and everybody be cautious, because it won’t be entertaining for anyone.
“It’s only in the last two events where penalties really ramped off. None of us wants to see penalties dished out week in, week out. So yeah, we need to understand their views on this.”
“It’s always fine margins between whether it’s a penalty or not. And maybe it’s just a coincidence these last two races that there’s been more than normal.”
The penalty for Carlos Sainz incident is harsh.
During the first sprint race of F1, Russell suffered a lock-up heading into Brooklands on the first lap of sprint qualifying, causing him to go too deep into the corner and tag Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
The Spaniard was forced to avoid the action by going on the grass, dropping right down on the pecking order, which forced the stewards to find Russell’s fault and was harsh in Russell’s opinion.
“I thought [the penalty] was a little bit harsh,” Russell said. “It was one of those first lap incidents, really, lots going on. You know, I had a little small lock-up; there was nothing malicious.
“I wasn’t trying to squeeze him or anything. And I think if it were any other corner, he’d have just carried on, potentially even in front of me. So we’re told that the consequences of an action are never taken into consideration.
“But it felt like in this instance it was. But I respect the decision. At the end of the day they’re the rule makers, so we’ve got to stand by their views.”
About the author
-
Naman Gopal Srivastava •
After Losing 650,000 of Its American Audience, F1 Boss Admits Max Verstappen’s Domination Is a Challenge
-
Veerendra Vikram Singh •
“Max Verstappen Knows Everything About the Car,” Helmut Marko Once Told Lando Norris During Red Bull Interview
-
Janmeyjay Shukla •
“Very rehearsed and media trained response by Max Verstappen” – F1 Twitter fights over Max Verstappen’s comments on Lewis Hamilton racism row
-
Shreya Sanjeev •
Peyton Manning’s $400,00,000 Brainchild Hires BoJack Horseman & Daniel Ricciardo to Throw Their Hats in the F1 Circus
-
Vidit Dhawan •
Felipe Massa’s Lawyers Gives Final Deadline to FIA over Multi-Million Dollar Lawsuit Slapped for ‘Injustice’ He Faced 15 Years Ago
-
Shreya Sanjeev •
Lewis Hamilton Makes Mega Announcement Following in the Footsteps of F1 Idol Ayrton Senna