There is great curiosity surrounding what will be the first comments of the drivers after having concluded the Free Practice sessions on Friday on the Monza circuit, which in recent months has been the subject of modernization works with a new asphalt as well as new kerbs and modifications to some curves. In the meantime, waiting for the FP1, several participants in the Italian Grand Prix have expressed their impressions, and among them also George Russell.
The Englishman from Mercedes was however very critical of these works, which in his opinion have distorted the ‘old school’ character of the ‘Temple of Speed’: “Drivers are often the last to find out when there are track changes – he commented – Personally, I think it’s a bit of a shame because there was so much character at Ascari, for example. I don’t think that curve will be that impressive with the changes.. Honestly, I don’t know who makes these decisions. I don’t think it’s the FIA, but the circuits themselves. We have to appreciate circuits designed for a full season and for all types of categories, but we have always said that these old school circuits, with incredible character, must be preserved at all costs. We want the best circuits in the world to race with maximum character. Changing this circuit is not going to help or hinder the racing, it just makes it marginally better. less pleasant for us pilots. So, we are quite selfish and want the best of everything, but hopefully we can find a better way in the future. The Ascari curbs were very particular before – he continued – they had a kind of drainage channel that went down about 10 centimetres, then came back up and you could put the inside wheel through these channels. That always made for an iconic photo. You could see the cars drifting through the corners with the inside wheel going into the drain. Now they are completely flat and the drivers will be able to cut the corner completely. We are still limited by the gravel, and now it will be a faster corner, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it seemed to me one of those curves that don’t need any modification. I’m not entirely convinced, but, as I said, it could have saved someone’s job.”
Russell who arrives in Monza a week after Zandvoort, where Mercedes tested the new fund: “Engineers would like to hear that a new bottom is better, but that is not the case. – he added – you always have to be honest with yourself, but in the end you have to trust the numbers. If you don’t trust the numbers, you’re in for a world of pain. We go from Zandvoort, which is a high-downforce circuit, cold and windy, to Monza, which is low-downforce, with a very grippy surface and C5 tyres. There’s no comparison from one weekend to the next, or even from one session to the next. The track evolves probably by two seconds over the course of the day, when you have the F3, the F2 and the Porsche driving, even if you try an F1 and change something for the F2, it’s a completely different session again. As long as the characteristics are similar, you have to trust those numbers and believe in the minds of the engineers.”
Russell, finally, responded with irony to the rumours about Andrea Kimi Antonelli as his possible teammate in 2025, in a weekend that will see the Bolognese driver busy in FP1 at the wheel of the Mercedes in place of Lewis Hamilton: “To tell the truth, we never talked about it. – he concluded – I’ve been with this team for a long time and we’ve always said that we will continue together for the indefinite future. There are many rumors that are quite entertaining to read.but for my part I’m not focused on any of that. I’m just focused on my riding. I can’t wait to see who my partner will be next year.”
#Russell #Ascari #corner #didnt
