Ahead of the Miami weekend, George Russell takes stock of the season and sends a clear message to Ben Sulayem: “Without real changes, words mean nothing.”
On the eve of race weekend on the East Coast, George Russell reflected on the opening rounds of the 75th Formula 1 World Championship. The Mercedes driver — still awaiting a contract renewal with Toto Wolff’s team — has climbed the podium three times in the first five races, with top-three finishes in Melbourne, Shanghai, and Sakhir. Things went differently in Jeddah, though. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix proved challenging for the Brackley-based team, struggling to keep the tyres in the right temperature window and finishing fifth with Russell and sixth with Kimi Antonelli.
That weekend provided valuable insights into the W15’s behaviour — learnings the Mercedes engineers hope to put to good use at the Miami circuit, where tyre and temperature conditions could mirror those experienced in the desert. Still, as car no. 63 himself warned: “We’ll have to wait and see if what we learned last week translates into some performance. I’m confident we’ll be competitive in qualifying, but there are still some question marks over race pace “.
Russell, GPDA president and the situation with Ben Sulayem
George Russell — alongside Spanish driver Carlos Sainz — currently leads the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), the body that represents active F1 drivers and aims to facilitate constructive dialogue with the FIA. The association’s role has grown in relevance at a time when the federation appears to be faltering, particularly after recent accusations of “opaque leadership” against its president.
During Thursday’s media day press conference, Sky Sports’ Craig Slater took the opportunity to ask Russell about Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s alleged openness to reviewing rules governing driver conduct.
“Obviously, we want to see things actually put into practice, rather than just hearing ‘we’re considering this’ — you know, we all consider a lot of things. We’re clear about wanting changes, and we’ll only comment once they’re truly implemented. For now, it’s still only being considered. So until changes are made, those words don’t mean anything, ”responded the Norfolk-born driver.
Photo: FIA, Mercedes AMG-Petronas F1 Team.
