George Russell has explained how the incident between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the United States Grand Prix is proving to be a catalyst for change in F1.
George Russell believes discussions surrounding the increasingly contentious F1 driver guidelines are moving in the right direction.
The 26-year-old has maintained the driver briefing held before the Mexico City Grand Prix was a “positive” one, despite there being a solitary hold-out in wanting to implement new standards immediately, as opposed to waiting until next season.
The Briton pointed to the stewards’ decisions during the race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to hand Max Verstappen two 10-second time penalties for his on-track conduct when racing against Lando Norris.
Russell, who is also a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), did, however, concede that some “element of interpretation” needs to be “cleaned up a little” within the rules.
“If you look at what happened on Sunday in the race, you would argue that the meeting was positive because actions that should have been punished were punished,” the Mercedes driver told media including RacingNews365.
“I think everybody agreed what needs to change. Maybe the only disagreement was when. The majority said, ‘Let’s just make the change now’; some said, ‘Let’s wait until next year’.
“But if you read the rules, there are lines, let’s say, if you’re driving erratically or dangerously, you’ll be punished.
“And you can argue if a driver out-brakes himself and doesn’t make the corner on the exit, that is erratic because you’re driving off the racetrack.
“So there is an element of interpretation there. For sure it does need to be cleaned up a little.
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