Russell: Impact in 2022 F1 cars like crashing with a bus

The weight of F1 cars has been on an upward curve is the past few years, with the latest generation reaching a whopping 798Kg, the heaviest they have ever been in the sport's history.

While many safety additions to F1 cars are behind the cause of this weight increase, there is no denying that the new hybrid power units and the increased size of these cars also play a role in the extra weight, but while safety is paramount, George Russell believes the extra weight has a negative impact on safety.

Many have hailed the new for 2022 F1 aero regulations as a success in terms of racing, and speaking to Motorsport.com, Russell admitted “a lot of positives to take from this regulation change”.

But he expressed his concern regarding the increased weight if the current, commenting: "The big one [issue] is the weight. The weight is extraordinary. At the moment, the low-speed performance is not great.

"We keep making these cars safer and safer, but obviously the heavier you make them when you have an impact it’s like crashing with a bus compared to a Smart Car.

“You’re going to have a greater impact if you’re going the same speed with a car that weights 800-odd-kgs or over 900kgs at the start of a race, compared to one 15 years ago when they were at 650kg," the Director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) explained.

"And I’m sure there’s analysis going on about striking that right balance because I don’t know where the line is drawn.

“If you just keep making it heavier, heavier, heavier, stronger, stronger, stronger – actually you get to a point where you cross over that [line] that too heavy is actually not safer," Russell maintained.

The young Mercedes driver had a high profile crash at the 2022 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, after he hit Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu at the start of the race sending him into the barriers upside down, the Chinese driver thankfully walking away from the crash.