George Russell is pushing for sit-down talks with the FIA amid concerns over inconsistencies in decisions made in the first few Formula 1 races of the year.
For some time there has been unrest regarding some decisions made by the race director and stewards. And those worries were raised again after a chaotic Australian Grand Prix in which there were three red flags – not all of which were necessary, in the view of some drivers.
Russell was burned by the first, as it came just a few seconds after he had already pitted for new tyres. He was leading the race when he stopped for fresh rubber, but the timing of the red flag meant everyone else got to change their tyres for free, while the Brit had dropped several positions down the order.
Grand Prix Drivers' Association director Russell feels a discussion is needed in order to iron out the differences in opinion between drivers and decision-makers. "For sure, there's going to be a lot of conversations with the FIA to understand their views," the Mercedes racer told reporters in Baku.
"It's a bit of a challenging time, no doubt for all of us in that regard, and for sure as well for the FIA. They're not stupid, and they're trying to do the best job possible, but things do need to be ironed out to understand where their approach is going to lie.
"We can't really be having weekends that are just totally dictated by what somebody in the race control office wants to do.
"We've seen a few crazy or rogue decisions being made recently. If they're consistent, that's absolutely fine, but it's the inconsistency that makes it challenging for the rest of us."
If Russell was annoyed by his misfortune, it was still nothing compared to the fury felt by Carlos Sainz. He was penalised with a time penalty for spinning Fernando Alonso which meant, despite crossing the finish line in fourth, the Ferrari racer was demoted out of the points in Melbourne.
Sainz argued against it at the time and his team called for a right of review hearing a few days later. But that was dismissed by the FIA as it doubled down on the stewards' decision to penalise the Spaniard for causing that contact with Alonso.
