Russell not happy with Pirelli: 'Then Verstappen wouldn't have raced this weekend'

The incidents of Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll in Baku have made a big impression on the drivers on the F1 grid. The confidence in Pirelli seems to be lost because safety is the most important thing in Formula 1.

Several drivers spoke about the events in Baku after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. "When I saw the replays after the race I was just relieved," Daniel Ricciardo is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. Colleague Pierre Gasly says the mishaps with the Pirelli tyres worry him.

George Russell, president of the GPDA drivers' union, is anything but satisfied with what happened in Baku. "It's arguably life or death. With Max's incident, if he blew out and went to the left and hit that pit wall at 330km/h, I'm pretty confident that he wouldn't be racing here this weekend. I think naturally, as a driver, you want to feel safe and secure while pushing the boundaries to the absolute limit."

Russell knows everyone is aware of the dangers when driving through fast corners. "But when you drive at 330km/h down the straight, and something happens, it's completely out of your control."

For Pirelli, this will be a difficult task. Russell is also aware of this. "We don't want rotten tyres where we are 120% sure that nothing is going to happen. We want something than brings us performance and fun and is good to drive." Russell knows the Pirelli tyres work well in narrow windows. "But I just hope that that fine window doesn't include the safety aspects."