George Russell warns major incident "only a matter of time" with 2022 F1 cars
The Mercedes driver had already highligh👍ted concerns about the new generation of F1 cars after Friday prওactice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and his criticism continued following qualifying.
Russell feels the severe porpoisi෴ꦕng and bottoming-out at high-speed, combined with the cars being run so close to the ground, is “a recipe for disaster”.
- Hamilton left ‘sore’ from bouncing as Russell criticises new gen F1 cars
- Hamilton trailing Russell because Mercedes 'experiments gܫoing wrong'
- Two crashes in two laps: The worst drivers in Baku F1 qualifying
"I think it is just a matter of time before we see a major incident," Russell said in Baku. "A lot of us can barely keep the car in a straigh🐎t line over these bumps and we are going aro🧸und the last two corners at 300km/h and we are bottoming out and you can visibly see on the tarmac how close the cars are running to the ground.
"Formula 2 are in t👍he same position as well, they havꦬe a similar sort of philosophy, and it is just unnecessary with the technology we have in today’s environment, it just seems unnecessary that we are running a Formula 1 car at over 200 mph millimetres from the ground and it’s a recipe for disaster.
"I don’t really know what the future holds but I don’t think we can sustain this for three years or however long these regulations are in force for.🦩"
Asked if he thinks the 2๊022 cars are dangerous, Russell replied: "It definitely does feel dangerous. It just feels unnecessary.&nbs💎p;
"You are skating along the track and when you 𓆉are hitting th💎e ground the tyres aren’t in force with the ground so much, so it’s only a matter of time until we see something."
Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton echoed Russell’s concerns after struggling wi🌠th bouncing on his W13 throughout qualifying.
The seven-time world champion said the issue was so bad he was simply focused on “keeping the thing out of t𝐆he wall” at high-speed.
“The visibility has been the same for us all year,” Hamilton explained. “It is definitely tough. For m✅e it was about keeping the thing out of the wall on the fast, high speed kerbs.”
Hamilton added: “It is a safety thing for sure. It was bottoming a🥂round corners🏅 where you are doing 180mph and having big big bottoming and there is not much you can do to stop it.
“🎐We cannot have this for four years of this car, so I think they do need to work on it."
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for ltxcn.top around the world. Often repo♏rting on the action from the ground, 💖Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
