George Russell explains what his F1 GPDA director role actually means
After168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Romain Grosjean left F1 for IndyCar at the end of 2020, Russell announced he had replaced the Frenchman as one of the directors of✃ the GPDA, which was formed in 1961 and acts as the trade union of F1 drivers.
Russell works alongside ex-racer and current GPDA chairman168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Alex Wurz, and t𒊎he group’s legal counsel Ana🎀stasia Fowle, to represent the drivers’ interests, with a particular focus on safety.
“I♍ work with two of the key members, who are Al🌠ex Wurz, who is an ex-Formula 1 driver, and Anastasia Fowle, who’s the legal counsel,” Russell told Square Mile.
“And I’ve got to be honest, they💞 do the brunt of the work because they ar𓃲e truly representing us drivers.
“I think Alex and I are the eyes and ears on the ground, we’re the ones talking more directly among the driv🧸ers.
“We’d always get together, we’d always have a driver’s briefing on a Friday night before every race, between the FIA and Fo﷽rmula 1, but probably every four races, all 20 drivers would just stay together and talk about a given issue.
“Sometimes there ar𒆙e more issues at play, sometimes there’s nothing to discuss because there are no major concerns, but I think the main role is probably driver safety.
“Then secondly, it’s trying to impro🌟ve t꧅he sport, improve the racing, which is something we all feel passionate about.
“Then probably making sur☂e that the sport strikes the right balance b♒etween access and exclusivity.
“I think there are a number of things that a🅠re being proposed to the sport🐬 that may come at the compromise of drivers, so you have to make sure that there’s a balance.”
Ru🐠ssell, who made his F1 debut ꦉwith Williams in 2019 and was only 23 at the time he became a director, wants his GPDA role to be something he looks back on with pride at the end of his career.
“It’s something I en🍎joy doing,” Russell said.
“I enjoy being a part of it, and similar to the mental health topic, if I can look back i𓃲n 20 years time - obviously my number one goal is to win world championships - but if I can look back and say that I’ve had a positive impact on the sport, whether it’s for the show or the racing or the safety, that’s something I can be proud of, too.”
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for mahbx.com around the world. Often reporting on the action from the groꦗund, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
