By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE, March 8 (Reuters) – George Russell urged critics to give Formula One’s sweeping new regulations time to prove themselves after the Mercedes driver won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Leading drivers, including four-times world champion Max Verstappen and defending champion Lando Norris, have been scathing of the new hybrid engines which place more emphasis on power management and regeneration.
Russell, who won from pole ahead of Kimi Antonelli in a Mercedes 1-2, said his rivals might feel differently had they crossed the line first at Albert Park.
“Everyone’s very quick to criticise things. You need to give it a shot,” he told the post-race press conference.
“We’re 22 drivers. When we’ve had the best cars and we’ve been happiest, everyone moans the racing’s rubbish.
“Now drivers aren’t perfectly happy and everyone said it was an amazing race. So you can’t have it all.”
Norris said the cars had gone from the “best to the worst” after qualifying on Saturday and renewed his criticism after finishing fifth in Sunday’s race.
“It’s a shame, it’s very artificial, depending on what the power unit decides to do and randomly does at times,” he said.
“You just get overtaken by five cars or you can just do nothing about it sometimes.
“There’s nothing we can change about it, so there’s no point in saying any more, but not for me.”
Verstappen, however, said he hoped Formula One and the governing FIA would listen to the complaints and make changes.
“If it’s drivers, fans, we just want the best for the sport. It’s not that we are critical just to be critical,” he said.
“We are critical for a reason, we want it to be Formula One you know, proper Formula One on steroids. Today, of course, again, that was not the case.”
Russell and third-placed Charles Leclerc of Ferrari fought a thrilling duel at the start of the race, swapping the lead seven times in the first nine laps.
While that was exciting for fans, Leclerc said the new engines had fundamentally changed drivers’ approach to overtaking.
“Before it was more about who is the bravest at braking the latest,” the Monegasque said.
“Now there’s a bit more of a strategic mind behind every move you make because every boost activation you know you’re going to pay the price after that.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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