“People Are Feeling the Effects”: George Russell Follows Lewis Hamilton’s “Sustainable” Footsteps to Make a Critical Demand to F1

George Russell is following the footsteps of his teammate Lewis Hamilton in every aspect. Not only is he as fast as his teammate, but he is also now more vocal about several aspects of F1 life, which might bring about a change for the better. Or it could also be the result of him holding the director’s position at the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association. Nevertheless, the Briton is stepping up for good.

This time, the Mercedes driver sheds light on the exhaustive F1 calendar, which is now almost at the maximum permissible level of 24 as per the Concorde Agreement. The driver highlights the issue with an elaborate calendar, causing trouble for everyone, including the staff members, as the signs of fatigue are already starting to appear before us.

Russell, as quoted by Planet F1, spoke about the issue, saying, “Because these timezone shifts are so brutal for some of the races and just the length of flights. It doesn’t matter how you fly, it really takes it out of you.”

“It’s definitely getting to a point where people are feeling the effects. I think we’ve had some good conversations with Formula 1 about where the future is and perhaps making things a bit more sustainable, not just in terms of flying but for all of us on this rollercoaster together.”

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This does fall in line with the fact that the current calendar would require the drivers and other staff members to travel at least 80,000 miles, excluding their journeys back home. It is hugely inflated compared to the 31,000 miles the circus would have had to travel if the path was straight, making more sense from the sustainability point of view, which F1 claims to be working towards.

George Russell sheds light on Sebastian Vettel’s GPDA future

Sebastian Vettel may have retired from Formula 1, but he’s still associated with Formula 1 through his role as a director alongside George Russell and others. And though he can continue in his role, there seems to be less clarity about it.

Talking about Vettel’s role, which he has held since 2010, Russell, as quoted by Planet F1, said, “There are definitely discussions in place of how we’re going to go about things since Sebastian’s retirement from Formula 1. I think the conversation we’ll probably have with the rest of the drivers in Bahrain, but I’d like to think my workload wouldn’t really change with Alex Wurz, and Anastasia [Fowle, fellow GPDA director], those two are really, really on it, and a huge credit for all of us.”

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Sebastian Vettel’s presence on the grid could mean a lot, as he carries a lot of influence in official matters. But ultimately, it’s all about his preferences.