George Russell gives a systematic breakdown of where the sprint format could be improved

Mercedes driver George Russell believes the sprint race format can still be improved, as he considers it to be too short in its current state.

The Briton was one of the stars of the Austrian GP sprint race as he was the first one to switch from intermediate tires to slicks. He has always excelled in mixed conditions and showcased his prowess on the track by finishing in P8 after starting from P15.

While speaking with Sky F1, George Russell recommended some changes to the Sprint Race format and said:

“I think the sprint race is an interesting one – I still feel like it’s too short. I think in normal circumstances, just dry conditions, it would have been a pretty boring race. I think something like, you know, mandating the soft tire for the sprint race and, you know, a bit more tire deg – you’ve got to think about it more, a bit more action.

“At the moment, you’ll put the medium [on], you’re just flat out the whole race in a DRS train, and there would have been nothing you could do.”

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George Russell calls out Pirelli for being secretive about tire construction

George Russell also stated that many teams have struggled to understand the Pirelli tires because the manufacturer has not been very open about the construction, making it frustrating for everyone involved.

The Mercedes driver said:

"The tires are the only thing on the car that we don't make ourselves. You're given a product and you can't even take that product back home with you to analyze or do your own testing. Here's what you've got, and deal with it.

"If we could take that tire home and chop it up, the brilliant engineers would then probably be able to understand it more, but obviously Pirelli believes that's their secret recipe and want to keep hold of it. It makes it interesting, but it's equally very frustrating for everyone."

Russell also assessed his current run of form, saying:

“It’s been a tricky few races for me personally, not feeling super happy with the car, especially yesterday [in qualifying]. But looking forward to Silverstone already to start a full weekend, fresh start, go again and try and get some form back.”

It will be interesting to see where George Russell finishes in his home race in Silverstone next weekend.