George Russell claims removing F1 safety car could HELP wet weather running

George Russell

Russell claims removing safety car could HELP wet weather running in F1

Brit believes that more racing laps could help clear tracks sooner in the future

Shay Rogers

Wednesday 9 August 2023 19:57

George Russell believes that more fast laps in wet conditions could help to clear circuits quicker, without the presence of the safety car.

A trial of rain guards at Silverstone last month was unsuccessful in helping to stem the rate of water flicked up by the cars, with Mercedes one of the teams involved in the test.

Having spent a long time thinking about a solution to the problem, the Grand Prix Drivers Association director has revealed that fast running (even if it is not racing) helps to clear the standing water a lot quicker than sitting behind the safety car.

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Russell offers solution for the future

As the extreme wet tyre now serves almost exclusively as a safety car tyre, both Pirelli and the FIA are coming under pressure to deliver a solution.

Options discussed include the aforementioned guards, as well as a new super-intermediate tyre, however neither are likely to come into effect anytime soon.

“I think it was like in Japan [in 2022], where we did a lot of laps behind the Safety Car, and the conditions didn't really improve then.” Russell told media, including GPFans.

“So maybe it's a solution for the future, if they allow us to do two, three or run at full speed for four laps and then have the Safety Car come back on track to get the field together, because after two laps of racing the conditions were much better.”

One of the main problems for the sport in wet conditions is the spray produced by the heavy cars in this current era of Formula 1.

The tyres already do their job in shifting the water from the track; however, a better job must be done in order to ensure that drivers aren’t affected by the spray so much, and therefore able to race safely.

Russell is guaranteed to be at the forefront of conversations while he continues to serve as a GPDA director, and the lead voice for drivers’ opinions which have become more vocal in recent times following the tragic passing of Jules Bianchi, Anthione Hubert and Dilano van ’t Hoff.