George Russell believes that “talent” on the grid will outweigh any big changes in the sport when the new regulations roll out next season, but predicts the big three, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari, will be at the top of sport will remain.
Formula 1 will undergo a major overhaul next season, with new regulations being introduced to shake up the championship and encourage more exciting races.
Among the big changes, cars will be designed with ground-effect aerodynamics, they will be heavier with wider tires, and teams have had to design all of their 2022 cars under a budget cap.
And Russell says this means new opportunities for many teams.
“Sport is talent,” he told Auto Motor und Sport, “the talent of the driver, the engineer, the designer.
“We have seen in the past that teams had huge budgets but didn’t make anything of them.
“I would say the team with the most talent, the greatest motivation and the greatest passion will be at the top.
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“But if a change in regulations turns out to be so blatant, who knows? We saw it in 2009 and 2014. Everything can change.
“But Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari will be in the top five.”
The changes were supposed to go into effect before the 2021 season but have been delayed due to the global pandemic, with the biggest difference from the 2022 F1 aerodynamics package being the return to a ground effects formula.
Ground effect tunnels have not been allowed in F1 since the 1980s, but F1 hopes to be less able to rely on wings for downforce.
It’s a step into the relatively unknown next season for teams and drivers, but Russell, who is tipped for a place at world champion Mercedes, isn’t worried about adapting to a new car.
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“So far I’ve driven a version in the simulator, not the 2022 car,” he explained.
“A version that we roughly assume where it’s going to be.
“It’s just going to be a different racing car. It’s going to be different, but it’s the same transition as from Formula 4 to Formula 3, from Formula 3 to Formula 2 and then to Formula 1.
“As a driver, you learn to adapt, you get used to it.
“Like on a racing weekend, when it’s sometimes warmer, sometimes windier.”
Russell is currently waiting in the wings for a decision from Mercedes regarding his future in the hope of replacing Valtteri Bottas on the team.
Russell and Bottas have both waited patiently to see what their fate might be at the seven-time world champion. Bottas hopes to keep his seat at Mercedes, Russell hopes to step up from Williams to prove himself alongside Lewis Hamilton.
Last season, the Finn was informed that he would be staying with Mercedes in early August, but boss Toto Wolff suggested that the decision could be made on the current summer break.
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