George Russell believes that the rule forcing teams to run junior drivers for two practice sessions during the season is of little benefit for driver or team.
George Russell has said that it’s slightly unfair that drivers are being put in a position where they could be judged on their talents based on short outings in first practice for a Grand Prix.
The British driver was speaking over the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, where Red Bull fielded Juri Vips in place of Sergio Perez for FP1 on Friday, while Formula E Champion Nyck de Vries was set loose in the Williams.
This happened because of a new rule for 2022, in which the FIA have decreed two FP1 sessions must be set aside by the teams to allow a junior driver (defined as a driver of two Grands Prix experience or less) to take part in the Grand Prix weekend. The same driver doesn’t have to be put on for both sessions, meaning it won’t necessarily be Vips or de Vries who appear for those teams again later this season.
While the move is to allow junior drivers some seat time during an era in which there is virtually no current-car testing during the year, Russell believes it puts untoward pressure on the youngsters – he himself made two such practice appearances with Force India in 2017.
“I think, slightly counter-intuitively, I personally don’t think it’s correct to be getting drivers in for FP1, to showcase what they can do in front of the world in 60 minutes, in 10 laps in a car they’ve barely driven and be judged off this,” he told media in Spain.
“And this is speaking from my own experience of the number of FP1 sessions. You know the pressure is going to be immense – now we’re putting even more pressure on these guys to go out there and try and prove them[selves]. They always going to be judged how they get on.
“But that’s just the way the game is at the moment.”
With de Vries part of the Mercedes squad as their F1 reserve alongside his role as Formula E factory driver, Russell…
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