Russell responds to criticisms of rivals
The best-case scenario for F1 would an entertaining race in China this weekend – both in terms of quality of overtaking and a competitive battle for victory.
Ultimately, a three-way battle between Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull in China would quickly create a more positive feeling about these regulations. Given Verstappen’s race pace in Australia, there is a plausible scenario where he joins Ferrari and Mercedes in a dynamic fight at the front.
At the same time, some speculate that Mercedes still have more pace in reserve. Even after qualifying and race day, Charles Leclerc suggested the Mercedes engine may still not be running at full power.
Regardless of whether others bring the fight to Toto Wolff’s team, George Russell has a clear and consistent stance on the complaints other drivers are making about these regulations.
When asked specifically about Lando Norris’ comments, the 28-year-old gave this response:
“Yeah… I don’t know. If he was winning, I don’t think he’d be saying the same,” he said post-race.
“You know, we weren’t happy with how stiff the cars were last year and the porpoising, and everyone had a bad back and drivers were complaining about that.
“But McLaren drivers said there was no porpoising, even though we watched their car and they were porpoising.
“So, you know, everyone’s always looking to themselves and we’re all selfish in this regard. The truth is last year we had the same engine as them – and McLaren did a better job than us and they beat us.”
Russell also pointed towards the fact Mercedes are not the only team with their power unit. The Silver Arrows are likely to reference this point with regularity in the coming months:
“Now McLaren have got the same engine as us, the same as Williams and the same as Alpine. And so far we’ve done a better job than them. So that’s just how the game goes.” (continues on next page)
