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George Russell criticizes Scuderia Ferrari's stance on F1 start safety
12 Mar 2026

Mercedes driver George Russell has criticized Scuderia Ferrari for their reluctance to support changes aimed at improving safety during Formula 1 starts.

The FIA had proposed a rule modification after last week's Australian GP witnessed significant variations in start performance across the grid.

The proposal was reportedly blocked by Ferrari, leading Russell to call their actions "selfish" and "silly."

FIA proposed rule change
Rule modification

The FIA had proposed a rule change to address the issues witnessed in Australia, but Ferrari was against it.

As per BBC Sport, Russell explained that the problems stemmed from a "very quirky rule" limiting how much energy a car can harvest on the formation lap.

He claimed this affected drivers at the front of the grid more than those further back, who could recover more energy before their actual start.

'Just a little bit silly'
Performance disparity

Russell also pointed out that Ferrari's engine design gives them an edge over other teams when it comes to starts.

He said, "The FIA was looking to potentially adjust that but as you can imagine some teams who were making good starts didn't want it, which I think is just a little bit silly."

The FIA can enforce a change on safety grounds but has refrained from doing so in hopes of consensus among teams.

F1 2026: George Russell wins season-opening Australian GP
Fact

Mercedes showed their power and intensity in the season-opening 2026 Australian Grand Prix. George Russell came out on top to win the race. He finished ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli as Mercedes dominated the scenes. Scuderia Ferrari's Charles Leclerc claimed third place to take the final podium.