George Russell has opened up on his push to continue making Formula 1 as safe as possible, with him forever holding two "horrifying" memories of the accidents involving Billy Monger and Anthoine Hubert.
Russell has been a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) since replacing Romain Grosjean in March 2021 and is at the forefront of all political decisions within the sport from the drivers' perspective.
He is viewed by many on the grid as a politician, something he believes is "quite funny to hear". However, the key for the Mercedes driver is simply to ensure life-changing accidents are avoided.
Russell holds vivid memories of Monger's 2017 accident in British Formula 4, which resulted in a double leg amputation, and Hubert's tragic 2019 Formula 2 crash at Spa, which saw him lose his life.
It is partly why he takes his position in the GPDA so seriously, aware that there are things that can be improved in motorsport that only a driver can understand.
Asked how he feels being seen by his peers as F1's politician, Russell told RacingNews365 during an exclusive interview: "Yeah, it's interesting views, it's quite funny to hear.
"I think Formula 1 is constantly evolving, and the drivers do genuinely want to help improve the sport and make it better. And especially seasons like this year, where there's a big change, and how we can keep pushing things forward, and ultimately, somebody needs to be the one to bring those views together and express them to the right people.
"And, you know, as I said, it all stems a lot for me from two things: the Billy Monger accident and the Anthoine Hubert accident, both of which I saw live. That was horrifying to see, and as a driver, you have a unique perspective that rule-makers, designers and engineers don't see, purely because we are the ones in the car.
"And if there are areas that I believe could help save lives or make the sport safe, slightly safer when it is necessary, or avoid unnecessary risk, Formula 1 is always going to be a dangerous sport, and we should never try and eradicate that fully because this is part of the game.
"But when there is an unnecessary risk and something that can be avoided, yeah, I want to raise my voice and be part of that change."
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