George Russell makes new claim over F1 rule changes after Bahrain 2014 throwback

George Russell said he does not know why anyone would want to change the regulations after the best on-track battle he had seen since 2014.

Russell and teammate Kimi Antonelli were involved in a thrilling contest for first place until the former’s battery gave out and Russell believes it was a glowing endorsement for the current regulations.

George Russell defends F1 regulations with 2014 comparison

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The 2026 regulations have had plenty of critics, mostly due to concerns over how artificial overtakes could become with differing power levels. levels, but Russell has often been a defender of them.

Critics would point to Russell’s team’s dominance as the reasoning for his defence of the regulations, but he suggested the battle between him and Antonelli was the best seen in F1 since Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in 2014.

“I loved it,” he said. “I thought it was great, and I’ve not had a battle like this in years.

“I haven’t seen a battle like this, probably since Lewis and Nico in Bahrain 2014 and these new cars allow you to do that. These new engines allow me to do that.

“I don’t know why anybody wants to change them, because we had amazing battles in Melbourne, we had great battles in China, Kimi and I have had a great battle today and yesterday, and that’s only possible because of how these power units are so that’s my view.”

Russell’s words are also a direct response to Max Verstappen who has constantly been on the opposite end to his Mercedes counterpart.

Following qualifying in Canada, Verstappen again suggested he would not stick around in 2027 unless a compromise was made.

“Well, if it stays like this, it’s going to be a long year next year, which I don’t want,” he said.

“I can tell you, if it stays like this, it’s just mentally not doable.”

An agreement in principle was reached to adjust the power delivery in next season’s cars, moving to a 60-40 split in favour of internal combustion over electrical elements.

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However nothing is set in stone, with the tweaks still needing to be officially voted through

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies was confident the regulations would pass and suggested teams would put the interest of the sport over their own.

“I’m optimistic we’ll find the right solutions,” he said. “I’m optimistic we’ll find a majority of people agreeing on improving the race.

“When it comes to what matters for the sport, I think at some stage we will all put aside what we feel it may or may not do to our relative competitiveness to do a step in the right direction for the sport. I think ultimately we’ll get to that point.”

Antonelli’s fourth victory of the season moved him onto 131 points in the Drivers’ standings, putting him 43 points clear of Russell.

Read next: Canadian GP driver ratings: Antonelli imperfect in victory as McLaren implodes

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