Mercedes driver George Russell has now urged the FIA to make a big rule change that would help to improve the show and produce what fans ‘want to see’ from Formula 1.
The pinnacle of motorsport is already planning for arguably its biggest regulation change for more than a decade. F1 will adopt new engine rules and chassis regulations from 2026 that could reset the grid order. But Russell feels the FIA is missing a trick to make F1 even better.
Russell has endured an array of rule changes since making his Formula 1 debut for Williams at the 2019 Australian GP. Most notably, the 26-year-old moved to Mercedes in 2022 at the start of F1’s newest ground effect era. But the Silver Arrows were slow to adapt to the rules.
George Russell wants F1 to adapt its aerodynamic testing allowance rules
Another major rule change that Formula 1 and the FIA have introduced since Russell’s debut was the introduction of a cost cap in 2021. It limits how much each team can spend per year on developing their cars. It does not include any of the Formula 1 drivers’ salaries, however.
F1 also introduced a sliding scale for aerodynamic testing allowances in 2021 which caps the amount of runs teams can do at a base 40 per week. The team that wins the previous year’s constructors’ title has their cap limited to 70%, while the team that finishes 10th gets 115%.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1’s 2026 engine and chassis regulations
Russell, however, believes the scale should also consider how many points each team scores and not simply their end position. Mercedes finished second in the 2023 standings with 409 points to eclipse Ferrari, who scored 406. But Red Bull lifted the teams’ title with 860 points.
“I think the wind tunnel thing is really good but it’s based on positions at the moment rather than points,” Russell told RacingNews365.
“Red Bull have double the amount of points than the second-place team in the constructors’ and they get the same difference in wind tunnel reduction as second to third.
“Mercedes to Ferrari last year, there were only three points difference [between the teams]. Maybe if it’s based on the number of points scored, rather than [the] actual position in the championship, that would help the team to catch up quicker.”
Russell also added: “It’s a great thing that there isn’t just one dominant force out there because people want to see the fights happen on track and the drivers going at it against one another.
“I think if the regulations are built correctly, the team should be able to catch up and there should be more than one car fighting for wins.”
F1’s aerodynamic testing allowance rules are set to stay in place through 2025
While Russell would like the FIA and F1 to adapt the aerodynamic testing rules that limit the number of wind tunnel runs and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) hours, the existing rule parameters are due to remain in place through 2025. They only adapted after the first year.
F1’s aerodynamic testing allowance rules become particularly relevant at the end of June as the allowances reset. Each team’s allowance over the second of the season is based on their constructors’ championship position from the end of June, with Mercedes currently fourth.
F1 is, at least, seeing the field close up with Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren challenging Red Bull in recent races. But the 2026 regulation changes risk blowing the field apart again if one team ace the rules like Mercedes did at the introduction of V6 turbo-hybrid engines in 2014.
The post ‘People want…’: George Russell urges big change to make F1 better if rules are ‘built correctly’ appeared first on F1 Oversteer.