Las Vegas Grand Prix: George Russell says F1 drivers ‘fed up’ with FIA leadership
Russell’s comments come at a turbulent time for relations between drivers and the FIA.
Since the last race in Brazil, GPDA issues open letter The FIA is asking the FIA to treat drivers “like adults” after they sparked controversy by swearing during a press conference.
The letter also cited a lack of transparency in how funds from driving offense fines are used.
Vatican left his job days later, and soon after FIA compliance officials discovered Paolo Basari was also fired.
Russell said: “As a driver and not in my role within the GPDA, everyone feels a sense of some of the things that have happened and we want to be united.
“Ultimately, we just want to be transparent and have a dialogue with the FIA.
“Niles’ departure is a prime example of not engaging in these conversations. (This letter) is us putting pressure back on them.”
Russell admitted that since Vitich took over as race director at the start of the 2022 season, drivers have not been entirely happy with some aspects of his job. The German has been replaced by former Formula 2 and Formula 3 race director Rui Marquez for the final three races of the season starting this weekend in Las Vegas.
He said: “It’s no secret that some people were unhappy with the decisions that were being made, but he worked with us and we could have helped improve the situation.
“Sometimes just hiring and firing isn’t the answer. Let’s see what this new era brings, but every time you make a change you have to take one step back and then two steps forward.”
McLaren driver Lando Norris said: “I don’t know what happened there. Obviously things didn’t go as smoothly as we had hoped.”
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen echoed Russell’s comments, saying the driver’s performance compared to the days of former FIA F1 director Charlie Whiting, who died on the eve of the 2019 season, was They feel ignored.
“I compare it to the Charlie Whiting era,” Magnussen said. “He was someone we felt really connected to and we were really listened to, but now we feel like we’re more against them and should have a closer connection. We can help a lot.”
