Mercedes driver George Russell is calling on Formula 1 and the FIA to significantly speed up the stewarding decision-making process. According to Russell, the current situation, in which it can sometimes take hours for a decision to be made, leads to confusion and frustration among drivers and spectators.
This was again evident last Sunday at the Dutch GP in Zandvoort. After his collision with Charles Leclerc during the race, the stewards were informed at 13:46 UTC, but it was not until 18:23 UTC that it was communicated that no penalty had been imposed. Russell reacted critically to the whole affair in Monza, in the run-up to the Italian GP, saying, “You would think that, with the technology we have, it should be easier. Both drivers and fans need the outcome quickly.”
‘Accepting an Incorrect Decision’
Russell, who is also the chairman of the drivers’ union GPDA, suggested that perfection does not need to be a realistic goal. In other words, sometimes speed should take precedence over accuracy. “Sometimes you have to accept an incorrect decision instead of every decision taking hours or days to assess.”
The British driver pointed out the need for technological and organizational improvements. Russell suggested a greater role for AI or additional resources to support and speed up the stewards’ decisions, although he acknowledges that this is not a simple solution. “Unless you deploy more people or more technology… perhaps there is a way that teams can contribute using AI to facilitate these decisions.”
