Russell: 'Devastating' issues demand more from F1 drivers

George Russell has insisted F1's competitors have to be 'more thandrivers' to succeed in the sport. The Mercedes driver also believesthere is a need to provide a positive impact on supporters giventhe number of "devastating" situations away from the racetrack. Thecomplexity of machinery in F1 has amplified in the modern era, witha multitude of different settings available to a driver on theirsteering wheel to fine-tune the car throughout an event.Recognising simply being quick behind the wheel is not enough toprosper on the grid, Russell told media including RacingNews365.com: "When I grew up, it was only about speed and you jump in the carand you don't think about anything else, you just think aboutdriving as fast as possible. "The times have changed. If I talkpurely on a racing sense, the cars are more complex than they haveever been before and the way you work with your team is sodifferent, the teams are larger than they have ever been before -we have 2,000 people in Mercedes. "So if I was a driver, equally asfast as I am today but I couldn't work with my team or couldn'tcommunicate, I wouldn't be in the position I am right now." Animpact to ne had Russell's teammate Lewis Hamilton and thenow-retired Sebastian Vettel led the way in tackling societalissues as part of their platforms in the sport, especially whentravelling to countries in the Middle East where human rightsabuses have taken centre stage. But with further issues such as waraffecting the sport in recent years - Russia's invasion of Ukraineleading to the loss of an event and team sponsor for Haas, as wellas driver eligibility being impacted - Russell recognises there isan impact to be had as a leading competitor. "Off the circuit, Ithink we all recognise that we have a powerful voice," said theBriton. "You want to have a positive impact on people andespecially when you see what's going on in the world at the moment,it's pretty devastating. "When you take a step back sometimes andtake the perspective of us being in our own little bubble, we allthink this is the most important thing in the world, not just thedrivers but for everyone in this paddock. "But actually, there's somuch going on that is truly devastating. I only hope the impact wehave is positive on the lives of others."