Earlier this week, the FIA announced that some changes will be introduced to Qualifying in Japan, in a bid to fix the clipping issues that have been present in the opening two races of the season. The cars' maximum permitted energy re-charge in Qualifying has now been reduced from 9.0 MJ to 8.0 MJ, after feedback from drivers and teams.

Mercedes have dominated the season so far, both in the races themselves and also in Qualifying. Russell and team-mate Kimi Antonelli have both won one race each so far, and have frequently been able to pull away from the other cars, outside of early race battles with the Ferrari's of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

Speaking about the new changes to Qualifying, Russell stated: "It will have an impact, I don't think it will change substantially, to be honest. I think it's good that the FIA are looking to make some of these small changes, refining the regulations. Obviously, it's been very positive for the sport, the racing. But, Qualifying just needs a bit of work."

Due to conflict in the middle east, F1 will go an entire month without racing. This month off may give teams a chance to catch up and study their packages more intensely.

Speaking about the upcoming break, and how it may affect Mercedes, Russell stated: "I don't think it's going to hurt us, but if you're the team on the front foot, like we are, you want to do as many races as possible. I would have loved to have been racing every weekend. We're obviously the team to beat right now, but I know for sure, we've got things we're still working on. I think it won't hinder us, or help us."

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