Mercedes F1 star George Russell complains about FIA ignoring him after Saudi Grand Prix

F1 News & Gossip

Russell complains about FIA ignoring him after Saudi Grand Prix

The British driver had a tricky evening in Jeddah

Chris Deeley

Tuesday 22 April 2025 09:57 Updated: 10:06

George Russell has revealed that he's complained about an issue at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for three years without the FIA acting on the problem the way he'd like.

The Mercedes star equalled his worst result of the season in Jeddah on Sunday, struggling mightily with tyre wear in the late stages and being caught easily by a fast-finishing Lando Norris for fourth place.

However, it wasn't the tyre wear that the Brit flagged up on the SkyPad in a post-race interview, instead showing off a particular quirk of the way the street circuit is constructed.

Article continues under video

More specifically, his revealed a part of the track which is more or less unlit by the floodlights around the track, with only the left-hand side of the track in the light.

Russell: FIA have ignored me on track issue

Russell explained to Sky Sports F1 analyst and former driver Karun Chandhok: "As you come into the corner, it gets really dark on the right-hand side. You see how bright it is [on the left side]."

Circling the area on the screen, he continued: "You see the lights, they’re shining, but there’s no lights on the other side shining. So it’s all dark on the wall."

It might seem that such detailed feedback would be welcomed by the FIA, but when asked if he'd pass on his observations Russell revealed: "I mean, I’ve mentioned it for about three years now. Nothing’s really changed."

Russell currently sits fourth in the standings, in the middle ground between title challenger and midfield runner, not yet truly challenging for a race win but sitting just as close to Oscar Piastri at the top of the standings as he is to Charles Leclerc in fifth.

F1 HEADLINES: FIA release official statement on Verstappen penalty as Horner produces evidence

Mercedes FIA Lando Norris George Russell Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Karun Chandhok