George Russell left ‘disappointed’ with FIA rule change in Australia

Formula One preview: A lap of the Australian Grand Prix

George Russell has been left “disappointed” over a new rule change introduced at the Australian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen has also agreed with the Mercedes star after the key change which was introduced ahead of round three.

Russell’s criticism comes after the FIA decided to crack down on team members climbing on the pit wall. Celebrating on the fence at the end of the race is forbidden under the regulations but teams are rarely penalised.

However, race director Niels Wittich specifically reminded teams about the rule ahead of the weekend, suggesting teams could be sanctioned if they are caught. Ahead of Sunday’s race, Russell said he is “disappointed” at the news but understood why the rule is being enforced.

The Mercedes star said: “Initially, when I read that, I was a little disappointed, because I think that’s part of the sport.

READ MORE
Lewis Hamilton comes under fire from rival F1 boss at Australian GP []

“Then I heard it’s only about climbing the fences, they can still stand on the pit wall and I think some of the older circuits we go to, we stand on those fences, they do wobble and if you’ve got 20, 30 big guys on there – I know, we’ve got some big boys in our team – you’d never want to see something like that happen.

“So yeah, I guess it’s a shame in some ways but I don’t know, if we saw something like that fall in when the cars are passing that’d be pretty horrific.”

When asked to weigh in on the issue, Verstappen simply added: “George explained it well.” Wittich included the reference to the pit wall in his race director’s notes for the Australian Grand Prix.

He reminded competitors that Appendix H – Article 2.3.2 states team personnel are “only allowed” in the pit lane to work on a car.

DON’T MISS
George Russell may show himself up at Australian GP over remark [LATEST]
Verstappen ‘surprised’ by Hamilton and Russell at Australian GP [COMMENT]
Lewis Hamilton stuns Jenson Button as Mercedes ace elated[ANALYSIS]

The notes added: “Organisers of races are reminded that the pit lane represents a potentially dangerous area during the running of a competition, not only because of the racing cars using it but also in view of accidents which may occur owing to cars being on the race track adjacent to it.

“Therefore, access to the pit lane should be exclusively reserved during practice and races for those persons specially authorised and having a specific job to do.” The document added: “It is forbidden for personnel to climb on pit wall debris fences at any time. Any action by a team breaching this ban will be reported to the stewards.”

Source: Read Full Article