'Lives Are At Risk': Russell Argues For Improvements After Scary Moments Following Crash

Thursday, 04 April 2024 at 21:00

Updated at Thursday, 04 April 2024 at 21:19

Mercedes driver George Russell discussed improvements that should be put in place to prevent situations similar to the terrifying experience he had in Australia.

A video of George Russell desperately calling for the red flag while being stranded in a crashed car behind a blind corner in Australia went viral following the third round of the 2024 season at Albert Park Circuit.

The aftermath of the controversial incident between Russell and Fernando Alonso was that the Mercedes driver found himself in a perilous spot. He said during a press conference ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix:

" I mean, it was an incredibly uncomfortable position to be in, your... on a blind bend, 250 kilometers an hour, right on the racing line with the car half upside down, you know, waiting for disaster to happen."

Carlos Sainz previously called for a change at this exact same corner, saying it is hazardous for drivers to fly 250 km/h into a blind corner without knowing what is behind.

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If there were some cars closer behind Russell when the incident happened, it could have been much worse. The 25-year-old explained:

"Fortunately, I had a 10-second gap behind me, and I think it was 10 or 12 seconds before the Safety Car came out."

"But in the space of 10 seconds, you can have five, six, seven cars if that was on lap one of the race and probably been hit numerous times, even with the yellow flag."

Carlos Sainz experienced a similar incident during the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, which started in wet conditions. The water spray that F1 cars create makes it impossible for drivers to follow each other closely.

When Sainz crashed, his car bounced from the wall back onto the side of the track, and he was nearly hit by five cars that flew by at very high speeds.

Thinking about this kind of situation, Russell proposed there needs to be some new invention that would allow stewards to trigger the virtual safety car super quickly. He said:

"Yeah, I mean, we've seen close incidents before where a car comes back, Carlos in '22 in Japan. I think we need to find a way that if a car is in a danger zone, automated VSC straight away."

"Within half a second or so because those seconds count. And, you know, lives are at risk. We've seen it, you know, spar numerous times in the past, cars, aquaplaning. Yeah, I think it's time with the technology that we have to make steps in this area."