George Russell has accused Ferrari of stopping a plan by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA )to change the starting procedure in Formula 1 before this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.
The issue started after the FIA discussed possible changes to how races start. The governing body wanted to make the starting process clearer for drivers and teams.
The plan was meant to improve communication and avoid confusion during the formation lap or just before the race begins.
Race starts in Formula 1 can be very tense moments. If a car stops on the grid or there is a problem before the lights go out, race control must quickly inform drivers and teams. The FIA believed small changes to the rules could help make these situations easier to manage and safer for everyone.
Some sporting rule changes in Formula 1 can only happen if all teams agree. According to Russell, Ferrari did not support the proposal.
Because of this, the FIA could not introduce the change for the race weekend in Shanghai.
“Unfortunately, sometimes when you’re trying to make changes for the good of the sport, if a team has a competitive edge – like Ferrari at the moment with the race starts – they wouldn’t wish to see anything changing.
“I think half the grid got caught out by a quirk in the rules for the race start in Melbourne. We now know that, but because there was some resistance from some teams to change, we’re just going to have to work around it.”
