George Russell shared his first impressions of the new technical regulations, which will come into force in 2026, and also commented on their safety aspect.
Since the spring of 2021, the Mercedes driver has been chairman of the GPDA association, which can be regarded as a trade union association of Formula 1 drivers, and such issues keep him very busy.
George Russell: “There are a lot of interesting things in the technical regulations for 2026, and I think it’s primarily to do with the powertrain. I think it is very important that our sport switches to fuel obtained from fully renewable raw materials. Although the course towards further electrification of Formula 1 will lead to a number of compromises.
The cars we will see in 2026 will be very different from the cars we have now. We will be able to reach much higher speeds on the straights, although these cars will be a little slower in the corners and perhaps the lap times will be a little lower.
But on the straights they will be exceptionally fast. On most tracks the speeds will probably be 360 km/h, which is impressive. But of course it is necessary to increase safety standards, because if an accident occurs at such a speed, it can be incredibly dangerous.
Unfortunately, we know from history that incidents occur first and only then are measures taken. But everyone must act actively in advance before the new regulations come into effect.
The new generation of cars will reach very high speeds on the straights, but generate very little downforce. It looks like we’re going to fly through the air. You can imagine what will happen during the race if it suddenly starts to rain, and we are racing along the city highway on slicks at speeds of more than 300 km/h – it is somehow uncomfortable.
And where will the speed increase in general stop? When will we reach 400 km/h? Do fans need this, or do they really want to see this? What are we trying to achieve?
For me personally it is not that important what speeds the cars develop on the track. I want the races to be spectacular, with intense competition, so that the competition is as intense as possible, and so that ideally every rider from any team has the opportunity to compete for high results. However, we must pay tribute to the FIA: they understand all this well and are analyzing all possible scenarios.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
