Russell urged 'not to over-think' race starts to avoid lap-one struggle
Russell urged 'not to over-think' race starts to avoid lap-one struggle
George Russell has been urged to avoid over-thinking his grand prix starts if he wants to improve as an F1 driver.
The advice has come from Williams head of vehicle performance Dave Robson after Russell acknowledged following the French Grand Prix he "struggled" with his starts "since I have been in F1”, suggesting they were more difficult at the back of the grid.
Russell showed signs of improvement in Sunday's Styrian Grand Prix as he started from a career-high 10th on the grid, improving to eighth at the end of the first lap after AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc collided.
Asked how the Briton can improve things, Robson said: “It’s really tough. It’s hard to analyse because there are so many variables, it’s so dynamic and you run the risk... if you start over-thinking it, that’s potentially a problem as well.
“So much of it is instinct, and there’s a lot of experience as well, and probably being towards the back of an F1 pack is a bit different to some of his past experiences."
Russell – trouble getting in the tyre window
Robson said he feels Russell's problems are due to him "not getting the tyres in the window on the formation lap”, while being in the wake of numerous other cars is also proving a hindrance.
Robson added: “In the first lap, once the start is over with, George has tended to struggle a bit on some of the opening corners and that’s where the wind sensitivity [of the car] plays its part.
“You’re in the wake of all those cars in front, which puts yaw angles on the car. It’s like being in a strong wind so that probably doesn’t help.
"But if you look at the pattern overall he doesn’t tend to be involved in many incidents, he doesn’t crash on the first lap.
"You might argue he’s kind of somewhat on the conservative side, but then you see that play out to be beneficial, so you can’t particularly criticise that.
“There’s no obvious thing he’s doing wrong, it’s just a really tough, instinctive battle you’ve just got to get involved with but you’ve got to have the confidence the car will allow you to do that.
“It’s something he will improve. A lot of it has to be done on instinct. Once he has a couple of good opening laps and starts to forget about it to some extent he will be a lot better off.”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Verstappen issues MAYHEM warning to F1 bosses
- 4 minutes ago
Ferrari announce HUGE F1 change to iconic red livery
- 49 minutes ago
F1 News Today: Hamilton and Verstappen rivalry takes SHOCK twist as F1 team 'set to announce' mega signing
- 3 hours ago
Horner Red Bull saga in new 'evidence' update as big F1 star left 'very angry' - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
Cocky sporting legend CHALLENGES Hamilton in stunning claim
- Yesterday 22:57
Ricciardo boss in 'super disappointing' claim amid RB stars' performance
- Yesterday 21:57
Related news
FIA slammed for 'ridiculous' Russell investigation
'Disaster waiting to happen': F1 star demands FIA safety OVERHAUL after terrifying crash
Russell reveals Alonso SNUB after post-crash meeting
Mercedes F1 star makes revelation about NEW driver
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860