F1 2026 regulations: George Russell’s biggest complaint resolved as FIA director reveals new change

Formula 1 is currently in a transition phase that will be crucial in the coming years. The FIA, F1’s governing body, is always working on new regulations. From 2026, there will be a breakthrough in the entire system in which races take place. One of these changes will benefit George Russell the most out of any other driver. When the FIA ​​introduced a new set of rules in 2022, the F1 city became well acquainted with the word “porpoise” – a phenomenon where a race car’s wheels touch the ground but the car itself bounces on its suspension.

It had existed before, but it had never been a major threat. However, thanks to the new regulations, porpoises in F1 cars harassed drivers because they had a physical effect on them. As a result, the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton suffered the worst damage. The team couldn’t find a way around this phenomenon, so Russell began vocally advocating for a change to the rules that allowed porpoises to become such a serious threat in the first place. At the time, he urged the FIA ​​to allow an active suspension. But did the legislative body pay attention to this when setting the F1 2026 regulations?

The FIA ​​director assures that George Russell will have no complaints in 2026

FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis is directly responsible for driver safety in Formula 1 and should have listened to George Russell’s complaints about porpoises when the Briton made them. In his opinion, the Tombazis organization has actually considered Russell’s suggestion to allow active suspension in F1 cars.

Tombazis discussed F1’s recently published 2026 rules on the F1: Beyond the Grid with Tom Clarkson podcast. He spoke about Russell’s proposal, saying: “We considered it. It never got this far, but we did it. That was one option” However, despite rejecting Russell’s idea, Tombazis went on to say how the FIA ​​would solve the problem.

Furthermore, Nikolas Tombazis explained how the FIA ​​deals with porpoises as he stated: “We will solve this problem with (new) characteristics of cars. The cars we will see in 2026 will be less likely to stick to the ground and will ride slightly higher.” The former race engineer noted that he thought this idea would prevent further complaints from drivers. So now this should come as a relief to George Russell, who once made a heartbreaking confession about porpoises.

George Russell once insisted on a solution because a porpoise “took his breath away”

George Russell joined Mercedes as a full-time driver in 2022. Already in his first season he faced a huge porpoise problem. The pain of the bouncing race car became so unbearable for the young competitor that at Imola he finally started screaming for help. “The jumping is truly breathtaking. It’s the most extreme feeling I’ve ever experienced– Russell said. He then started looking for a solution because he didn’t think it was sustainable at all from the drivers’ point of view.

But Mercedes has come a long way since the 2023 Emilia-Romagna GP, where George made this confession. The Briton recently finished the Canadian GP in third place and helped his team gain much-needed points. For now, his Mercedes career is set in stone as it appears he will favor overtaken teammate Lewis Hamilton in 2024.

Do you think George Russell can beat his much more experienced Mercedes partner in Lewis’ final season with the team? Let us know in the comments below.