George Russell boldly claims 3 rival F1 drivers lack ‘spatial awareness’

Mercedes driver George Russell has boldly claimed that there are three drivers on the track that lack spatial awareness. While the Briton refrained from naming these drivers, he claimed that he doesn't feel comfortable racing against them.

Max Verstappen had a tussle with Russell at the 2023 Azerbaijan GP sprint race, taking damage to his car after the Briton allegedly failed to leave him space.

However, since the former Williams man has not named any drivers, it would be far-fetched to assume that he was talking about Verstappen. Russell said:

"Maybe three drivers on the grid who you wouldn't feel comfortable going against. There's a trust between most of the drivers, I don't think [those three drivers] have the spatial awareness of others."

The Mercedes driver most recently plowed through the field in Spain, finishing on the podium despite starting P12 on the grid. Both, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, were able to capitalize on Mercedes' recent upgrades and drove excellently in Barcelona.

The W14 now features more traditional sidepods, with the team abandoning the 'zeropod' concept that it introduced at the beginning of last year. It will be interesting to watch Russell's upcoming performance in Canada.

George Russell highlights tracks where porpoising could be an issue this season

Russell recently suggested that circuits like Silverstone and Suzuka present a unique challenge for drivers and might see the return of porpoising. He anticipates that the upcoming race in Canada, with its slower corners, will not be the same.

According to the Mercedes driver, the team has resolved the problem of porpoising on the straights that plagued them in 2022. However, they now face difficulties with bouncing when attempting to generate downforce by running very close to the ground.

In Spain, the Silver Arrows had a successful day, securing second and third places for Hamilton and Russell, respectively. The team's performance has greatly improved since the introduction of upgrades in Monaco after opting for a more conventional sidepod design.

The significant porpoising problem that troubled the team in 2022 is no longer a concern for the Brackley-based squad, providing them with a fair chance to challenge Red Bull, the leading team in terms of pace in 2023.

Speaking about bouncing returning on tracks later in the calendar, George Russell told the media:

"You'll probably see the same issues when you get behind something tracks like Silverstone and Suzuka. Probably, Canada won't be an issue because it's just low-speed corners, and the straight-line bouncing [has] seemingly disappeared."