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George Russell believes that dirty air is leading to helmet turbulence with the 2024 F1 cars. Speaking to onsite media after the Japanese GP, the British driver pointed out that following the cars has been much harder this year than in the past.
With dirty air becoming a major discussion in the sport, one of its key characteristics is that it causes turbulence for the cars behind. Consequently it makes it harder for one car to follow another for too long without losing performance.
According to George Russell, it also causes turbulence for their helmets, which he was heard complaining on the radio about, during the race in Suzuka. The Briton finished seventh but did not have the pace to beat the likes of a Lando Norris or Fernando Alonso. He believes a lot of their race performance was compromised due to the position they started from, after a close qualifying.
Asked by Motorsport Network about the issue, George Russell said:
“It's been a bit of a theme this year. But I have had no problem with helmets in practice and qualifying, and then as soon as we get to the race with all the turbulence and cars around there's lots of buffeting and struggling a bit in this regard. The cars are definitely harder to follow recently than they have been in the past.”
Describing his race, the Mercedes driver said:
“It was so tight between the four teams after Red Bull, and you're seeing only a tenth and a half or two-tenths splitting probably six cars in qualifying and ultimately it feels like you finish where you start. So we had a bad day yesterday and paid the price today. I think it made sense to start on the hard [after the red flag], it just gave us this flexibility.
"But I lost loads of time behind Lewis at the beginning. Once we pitted the pace was quite strong I think, in line with Charles [Leclerc] and Lando [Norris]. So had we started a few positions higher it would have been a different race.”
George Russell enjoyed the battle with Oscar Piastri in the Japanese GP
George Russell feels his tussle with Oscar Piastri was a good battle in the Japanese GP. The Mercedes was seen forcing the McLaren driver off track and escaped a penalty for the incident. While the Australian complained on his radio that he was left no room, the Briton was surprised his opponent went off track. He claims that it was no more than a late lunge into the corner and had left the 23-year-old enough space.
As reported by Motorsport Network, George Russell commented the following on the incident:
“It was a good race, a good battle. Obviously, I had a little bit of a late lunge on him. Felt like I gave him enough room, but made a bit of contact at the apex. I was a bit surprised to see him go straight on, but at the end, I managed to pass him away."
Prior to Japan, George Russell was involved in an incident with Fernando Alonso, where the Spaniard was accused of brake testing him. The Aston Martin driver was penalized with a 20-second penalty for braking too early and causing a collision. Due to the Mercedes driver retiring, the penalty was severe for a manoeuver used by many drivers and the debate raged on until the Japanese race weekend.
