George Russell, winner of the Formula 1 Australian GP, raised a safety concern that he believes needs to be corrected as early as the Chinese GP next weekend. The Briton highlighted the behavior of the front wing on his car when using ‘Straight Mode’ (SM) during the race in Melbourne.
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“After experiencing this in the race and in battles, the only thing I would ask the FIA is that, with SM engaged, the front wing doesn’t close the gap so aggressively,” Russell stated.
The Mercedes driver detailed the problem he felt while trying to follow Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc: “When we activate SM (front wing opening), we have a lot of understeer, and when I was behind Charles, trying to pull out of the slipstream, it felt like my front wing wasn’t working. So, from a safety standpoint, it would make racing safer and better. I don’t see any disadvantage in doing that,” the British driver stated.
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Russell, who earned 25 points in the opening round, reinforced that the measure would not have a negative impact on performance, but could reduce risks and improve car control at high speeds, especially in close battles on the straights.
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