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Russell hits out at 'selfish views' from one particular team on race starts

Photo: Race Pictures

08:50, 12 Mar

byHenry Eccles

George Russell has revealed a "quirky rule" that explains why Mercedes started the Australian GP with zero battery, but also called out "selfish views" as to why rules on race starts have yet to be changed.

The Briton, alongside teammate Kimi Antonelli, achieved a commanding one-two for Mercedes in Melbourne, but not before an epic battle with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in the opening stages, as the Monegasque rocketed off the line from P4 into the lead.

On the race starts, Russell revealed an "error" related to the cars' harvest limit from the formation lap to race start that caught a lot of teams out, an error he said the FIA said were looking to adjust, but couldn't due to one team in particular.

Russell speaks on 'selfish views' over race starts

Photo: Race Pictures

Speaking to media, including GPblog, Russell was asked on whether he was concerned for the race starts after Lawson's near miss with Colapinto in Melbourne.

Russell said: "I think there was an error that caught a lot of teams out, which was the harvest limit on the formation lap, so a very quirky rule. I don't know if you guys know this or not. Every lap there's a harvest limit.

"The drivers who started in the first half of the grid, who were beyond the timing line, they were already within that lap. So when you did your formation lap start, you're spending your battery and you're charging your battery, which goes towards your harvest limit.

"The drivers at the back, when they did their formation lap at the start, they then launch away, they cross the start-finish line, and then it resets because they're effectively on the next lap."

"So yeah, the FIA were looking to potentially adjust that. But as you can imagine, some teams who were making good starts didn't want it, which I think is just a little bit silly. But I'm not overly concerned, but it's definitely a challenge."

Russell was later asked whether the FIA wanted to make changes to the race start, and whether any potential change was being blocked by other teams.

Russell answered: "They could do, I think they want to, but they need a super majority from the teams which they don't have. So you can probably guess which team is against that.

"I don't think their gain isn't coming from this issue. Now the teams know the problem, we'll just drive around it, but it's just creating a bit of unnecessary complications to something that doesn't really need to be there.

"So as I said, half the grid messed up in Melbourne, we'll adjust, we know what we need to be wary of now.

"The FIA did just want to make our life easier and just remove this harvest limit, but often people have selfish views and they want to do what's best for themselves and that's part of Formula One.

"We'll deal with it and I think the starts here will be much better."

Hamilton highlights where Mercedes have 'huge gap' on Ferrari

Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton has perhaps tempered expectations for now that Ferrari are in a title fight with Mercedes.

Speaking to media in Shanghai, including GPblog, Hamilton was asked whether Mercedes' dominance was fundamental or possibly track dependent, with the Briton choosing to focus on his former team's straight line speed in particular.

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