George Russell says FIA shows unprecedented openness to driver demands

George Russell told RacingNews365 that the FIA and drivers are now having the most collaborative dialogue in years, focusing on two recurring complaints from the first three races: lift‑and‑coast qualifying and high closing speeds in ‘abnormal’ track sections.

The issues surfaced when energy‑harvesting rules forced drivers to throttle back on power‑heavy corners such as Turns 9‑10 at Albert Park and the 130R curve in Japan, and were highlighted by the close‑call crash between Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto at Suzuka.

Russell, a GPDA director, says a practical compromise – for example, capping the super‑clip boost at 350 kW – could restore full‑throttle qualifying and trim dangerous speed differentials without a major redesign.

Why it matters:

• Full‑throttle qualifying is key for fan appeal and lets teams extract performance without complex energy‑management tricks.
• Limiting closing speeds in non‑SM zones could stop incidents like the Bearman‑Colapinto crash and boost driver confidence.

The details:

• Lift‑and‑coast: Current rules force a “super‑clip” that caps power on certain corners, preventing flat‑out laps at places like Albert Park and Suzuka.
• Closing‑speed gap: In Japan, Bearman hit the 350 kW boost while Colapinto was low on battery, creating a dangerous speed differential in a non‑SM corner.
• FIA response: Officials acknowledge the problem, are eyeing a 350 kW super‑clip cap and other tweaks, and have set up regular driver‑FIA roundtables described as the closest in years.

What's next:

Russell expects the FIA to issue provisional rule tweaks before the next event, targeting flat‑out qualifying and tighter boost controls in non‑SM zones. If adopted, the changes could erase lift‑and‑coast tactics, curb dangerous closing speeds and deliver a cleaner, more exciting start to the season.