George Russell Calls For F1 To Increase Pre-Season Testing Duration

The Mercedes driver is calling for change.

In order to allow drivers to accumulate sufficient mileage in their new vehicles, Mercedes driver George Russell has suggested that F1 should enable teams to conduct testing with two cars in the future.

F1 testing was reduced from six to three days in 2021, with just three test days taking place in Bahrain instead of the two three-day tests in Barcelona.

To provide teams with more time to evaluate their new machines following a significant rule change, winter testing for 2022 was expanded to six days as a one-time exception.

However, for this year, the number of testing days has once again been restricted to three, with the testing taking place in Bahrain from Thursday to Saturday, where the 2023 season opener will take place.

This implies that each driver will only have one and a half days to get familiarised with the new cars, a figure that Russell believes is insufficient as he is also the chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. The British driver explained:

"Personally speaking, I don't think three days is enough, because you have got to remember from a driver's perspective, that is one and a half days per driver.

"We were fortunate to do the [Silverstone filming days] last week, but had we not, that would have been getting on for 12 weeks out of the car from Abu Dhabi to Bahrain.

"Could you imagine Rafael Nadal spending 12 weeks without hitting a ball and then going straight into the French Open with one and a half days of training? You know, it just wouldn't ever happen."

Russell continued:

"I understand and recognise why we do that. I think three days with two cars would probably be a good place to be.

"And I think that would probably be the best compromise for all of the reasons why we're trying to limit it but right now one and a half days per driver I think is too few."

Having left Alpine for Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso concurred with Russell's stance and stated that the scarcity of testing could cause him and other drivers who have switched teams to lag behind their teammates. The Spanish driver said:

"This year we have only one day and a half testing in Bahrain, so I am aware that I will not be 100% in Bahrain, not in Jeddah, maybe not in Australia. So that's a little bit unfair, maybe.

"I think that is the only sport in the world that you do one day and a half a practice and then you play a world championship. There is no other sport in the world [that does that]."