Vehicles are presently locked into parc ferme after the primary session on Friday, and thus they need to run each qualifying periods and the dash and most important occasion with the identical set-up until groups choose to make modifications that oblige the motive force to start out from the pitlane.
In Spa Russell and Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton ran totally different downforce ranges from the beginning of the weekend.
With poor climate additional compromising Friday working they stayed with their preliminary decisions all through, whereas over the course of a standard Grand Prix weekend, they’d in all probability have converged.
“It may be actually difficult,” stated Russell of the present format. “I nonetheless do not love the truth that you are not allowed to vary the setup of the automobile from after FP1. I believe it creates an unknown for the game, which could be thrilling.
“Nevertheless it’s like giving a tennis participant his racquet an hour earlier than the ultimate at Wimbledon and simply saying that is what you’ve got obtained, suck it up and get on with it. And with no prior observe, [or] coaching.
“That is probably not how different sports activities function. I perceive why we do it. However it could be good to make some modifications at a sure level of the weekend.”
In the meantime, Russell welcomed F1’s August summer time break as an opportunity for these concerned within the “brutal” sport to have an opportunity to take day trip and reset.
George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR23
Picture by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Images
“I believe the summer time break is a very good thing for everyone within the sport,” he stated. “I believe we’re all so motivated and decided, and I believe everyone in their very own proper seems like a little bit of a warrior and simply needs to energy by.
“However I believe everyone recognises the impression {that a} two-week break has. It completely resets and rejuvenates, but additionally with perhaps some new concepts on find out how to enhance. Glad to see that we as a sport have it.
“And I believe there are talks of it for the winter as properly. That is clearly extra for the engineers and designers again on the manufacturing unit. It is a brutal sport, extremely intense. I believe that may in all probability be a great addition.”