FIA told to fix 'sketchy' F1 issue after Australian Grand Prix

The race went off surprisingly smoothly...for most

Chris Deeley

Sunday 8 March 2026 10:55

George Russell has called on F1's governing body, the FIA, to improve some issues after the first race of the 2026 season.

The Mercedes star won the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, after a thrilling back-and-forth battle with Charles Leclerc in the first dozen laps with saw them swap places multiple times.

Russell admitted after the race that he thought some of the racing was 'a bit sketchy' with some understeer issues caused by the new 'straight mode', introduced in the 2026 regulation changes.

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The Brit eventually got ahead for good thanks to a strategy decision made by his team (or, perhaps more pertinently, a decision not made by Ferrari to pit under a virtual safety car when both Mercedes did), doing a good job of holding onto his hard tyres for the last 45 laps.

F1 RESULTS: Mercedes dominate chaotic Australian Grand Prix

Russell: I was glad to cross the finish line

Speaking after the race, he admitted: "We had this suspicion that it was gonna be a bit of a yo-yo effect, and as soon as one of us got in front, it just felt impossible to hold it.

"Obviously, with this straight mode we lose a lot of the front end on the car, so we’re sort of just understeering a lot around these corners. So I'm sure the FIA are going to have to improve that a little bit because it was a bit sketchy."

The new championship leader added: "I’m feeling incredible. It was a hell of a fight at the beginning. We knew it was going to be challenging. I got on the grid, I saw my battery level had nothing in the tank, made a bad start, and then some really tight battles with Charles, so I was really glad to cross the finish line.

"Thank you so much to the whole team, because it’s been a long time coming to have this car beneath us, and we couldn’t have started off in a better way."

FIA George Russell Australian Grand Prix