GEORGE RUSSELL: TURNING OFF DRS 'PARK OF THE JOB' AFTER JACK DOOHAN CRASH SPARKS DEBATE

George Russell has said that turning off DRS is “part of the job” of a Formula 1 driver, after Jack Doohan’s crash at the Japanese Grand Prix sparked debate about whether an automated system should be introduced.

Jack Doohan's huge shunt in Japan has launched debate as to whether DRS should be left to manually switch off or not

The Australian crashed heavily at Turn 1 in FP2 at the Suzuka circuit after his Alpine’s Drag Reduction System did not close.

DRS closes automatically when the brake pedal is applied, or if a certain amount of throttle engagement is introduced.

Neither of those occurred in Doohan’s case and he reportedly failed to engage DRS manually after experiments in the simulator suggested Turn 1 could be taken in such a manner.

The consequential crash has opened up discussion about whether automatic DRS closing should be more stringent.

Mercedes driver Russell told select media, including Motorsport Week, that this should not be the case.

“I mean, obviously what happened to Jack was a big shunt and very unfortunate,” he said, “but I think it’s one of those things that you see happen once, and everybody will recognise, and this is probably the only corner of the whole calendar that it’s a problem.

“I think as drivers, you have responsibilities. We’ve got to go flat out down the straight and turn into the corners, and clicking a button to turn the DRS off is part of the job.

“We don’t want it to be automated. We’ve got to leave it down to the drivers. There’s already too many gadgets, assistants.”

George Russell believes that there are “too many gadgets” already

Russell’s fellow GPDA Director Carlos Sainz was quite vocal on introducing an automated system in the face of safety risks.

“I felt I was quite vocal yesterday, saying: ‘I am surprised this hasn’t happened more often’, because I’ve had moments where I’ve mispressed the DRS button and it has stayed open – it gives you a massive snap and a massive fright going into a corner like Turn 1 here, Shanghai Turn 1 or Australia Turn 9,” he said.

“We have too many of these corners where it is down to the driver to close it, down to the DRS to do a good job on the re-attaching, and I’m afriad there hasn’t been enough of these crashes in order to prove that maybe we need to work on this area of safety.

“But I hope the crash shows that we need to do something automatically, 50m, 100m before the braking zone so you don’t get a chance for the driver to make a mistake or the DRS to fail if it doesn’t close.

Leclerc believes automated DRS could be an option

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was on the fence regarding DRS, saying that perhaps a revised version of the current system could be considered.

The Moneqasque said: “I feel like if we have [an automated] system like this, I think we can maybe use it and have more DRS,” hinting at the fact that the system could be used on as many straights as possible.

“Like before Turn 1 in Silverstone, I think it’s a good example, and here before 130R there’s a huge straight, and it’s a bit of a shame that we don’t use these kind of straights to do it,” he said.

However, he also considered that leaving DRS activation to the hands of the drivers is a worthy skill challenge.

“But I also feel like it can be up to us,” Leclerc added.

“Like Turn 1 in Silverstone when we had it, I thought it was quite cool because you had to be very brave in Turn 1 to keep the DRS, and there was something to gain out of it. But yeah, I don’t mind anyway.”

- Jack Oliver Smith

GPDA BOSS RESPONDS AFTER FIA THREATEN BANS, POINTS DEDUCTION FOR F1 2025

George Russell leads the field at the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix

Alex Wurz, the chair of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, says all F1 stars “want to be good role models” and hopes “common sense prevails” around new FIA guidelines on punishments for misconduct.

The FIA have issued updated guidelines around the punishments drivers can expect for swearing or overall misconduct in an official setting, with a third offence now carrying a penalty up to €30,000, a one-month suspension and a deduction of World Championship points.

‘Every F1 driver wants to be a good role model’

Updated wording in the International Sporting Code says that, alongside the punishments for ‘any misconduct’, drivers can also be punished for ‘any words, deeds or writings that cause moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers.’

The GPDA, as the de facto trade union for the Formula 1 drivers, is yet to issue an official response to the updated guidelines, but while Wurz confirmed there has been contact among its members, there has not currently been a decision for a course of action.

Whatever the outcome, he hopes “common sense prevails” throughout.

“We have communicated, but we have not had enough time yet in this very busy period for the drivers, start of season, simulator tests, etc, to go together and discuss how we are addressing it,” Wurz told Sky Sports News.

- Henry Valantine

F1 PRESIDENT BLASTS F1 DRIVERS AS RACE FINES ROW ESCALATES

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has told Formula 1 drivers to mind their own business after they asked where money from race fines was going and why senior figures had left the governing body.

In an interview with Reuters ahead of Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix, the president suggested the drivers should stick to what they know best.

"Do we have to tell them? When something in the teams changes, do they tell us?," Ben Sulayem said when asked about the surprise departure of race director Niels Wittich before last weekend's title-deciding Las Vegas Grand Prix.

"We have the rules, we follow our rules. We don't follow someone else's rule. Simple as this."

Wittich has said he did not resign and the FIA have given no public explanation as to why he suddenly left beyond saying it was to pursue new opportunities. Media reports have said he was sacked.

Leading steward Tim Mayer, the son of former McLaren boss Teddy, and Formula 2 race director Janette Tan have also left.

Mercedes driver George Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA), said on Thursday drivers wanted clarity and understanding "of what's going on and who's getting fired next."

Ben Sulayem, a former rally driver who was elected as FIA head in 2021, responded by saying: "Do we tell them how to drive? Do we tell them what to have as their strategy?

 

Mohammed Ben Sulayem was elected as the FIA president in 2021. Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

"It's none of their business. Sorry ... I am a driver. I respect the drivers. Let them go and concentrate on what they do best, which is race."

The GPDA issued a remarkable statement last month, in response to an FIA clampdown on swearing, in which they asked Ben Sulayem to treat them like adults and mind his own language towards them.

They also requested financial transparency and said all stakeholders, including drivers and teams, should jointly determine how and where the money from fines was spent -- with some suggesting it could help fund professional stewards.

"They talk and then they say, where are you putting the money? Why we don't do this? I don't say 'Oh, sorry, what about you?'," Ben Sulayem said.

"The drivers are getting over 100 million. Do I ask where they spend it? No. It's up to them. It's their right ... We do whatever we do with the money. It's our business. It's also with them and their money. It's their business."

Ben Sulayem said the drivers had his mobile number and he had nothing to hide.

- Reuters 

FIA CHIEF STEVE NIELSEN QUITS AFTER LESS THAN A YEAR

Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

FIA sporting director Steve Nielsen has quit his role with racing's governing body after less than a year in the position.

Nielsen was appointed in January to oversee and improve the FIA's race control operations.

His move from F1 to the FIA followed a series of controversial decisions, most notably the Michael Masi mistake which impacted the end of the 2021 championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Within F1 Nielsen's appointment, which saw him work closely with race director Niels Wittich, was seen as a good step to rebuilding trust in the governing body.

As recently as August, Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) head George Russell described Nielsen as "a really great addition" to the process, but the championship now enters the new year with a void in that position.

According to a report by the BBC, Nielsen stepped away because he did not feel the FIA is willing to make the changes he felt need to be implemented.