GPDA Director George Russell Pushes F1 Top Dog to Implement Sustainability Amid F1’s Money-Minded Expansion

The economics of Formula 1 is a tough nut to crack if looked at through the lens of sustainability. The current F1 calendar will see a whopping 23 races all held at different locations scattered around the globe. Needless to say, the logistics of it all mean that carbon emissions and other detriments are sure to follow. However, in an ideal world, the impact of this disarray can be minimized. But F1 isn’t an ideal world. That being said, George Russell is very keen to be the champion of this cause.

Recently it was announced that Formula 1 aims to conquer more fans as it aims to expand its calendar to 25 races by next year. What this will do is add to the sustainability conundrum. What really makes matters worse is the way the calendar is scheduled. The entire jumping back and forth through continents is something that Russell wants to address.

George Russell expects better from F1

Russell is currently at the helm of the Grand Prix Drivers Association. The GPDA is keen on taking up the issue of the F1 calendar seriously. Further, according to Russell himself, meaningful dialogue has already begun with the upper echelons of F1’s management hierarchy.

Speedweek.com quoted the Brit as saying, “Stefano [Domenicali] is incredibly open to our concerns and our need to talk. And together we have a loud voice. There has been a lot of talk about how sustainable the World Cup calendar is when you fly from desert races to America and then back to Europe.”

“But of course there are restrictions regarding the weather or the availability of road courses. But I think we’ll see an improvement in the coming years.” [translated via Google Translate]

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And while the final decision only lies with F1, Russell is the kind of guy who seems to have the solution.

Russell explains his game-plan

F1 is always evolving. Hence, it is very important for the sport to be open to new ideas. What’s more? When someone from within the sport has something valuable to say, the sport must always divert its attention towards it. And this is exactly what Russell would be hoping for while he explains his ideas to improve the scheduling of the F1 calendar.

He was quoted by PlanetF1.com as saying, “I think Australia needs to be back-to-back with a Middle Eastern race, because I think almost all of us flew out here on a Saturday or Sunday last week. All of the mechanics, the engineers likewise so you’re already losing those additional three or four days. So yeah, it makes sense to be back-to-back with a Middle Eastern race.”

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Should Formula 1 be paying more attention to the demands of the drivers or to the spectacle of the sport?