George Russell argues for 'zero tolerance' on key F1 issue

George Russell has advocated "zero tolerance" in the F1 regulations after McLaren boss Andrea Stella called for wiggle room in the rulebook.

That came after the Woking-based squad had both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix for excessive plank wear.

The punishment for falling foul of the 9mm skid block thickness requirement is a slam-dunk exclusion from the results, which was handed down by the stewards in Sin City despite McLaren's attempt at mitigation.

The officials outlined that there was neither a provision nor a precedent to adopt leniency on the matter, and Russell, who is a Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) director, has since given his endorsement for that decision.

The Mercedes driver acknowledged that the penalty is disproportionate to the offence, but questioned where the line would be drawn.

Speaking to media, including RacingNews365, the 27-year-old said: "I think it needs to be zero tolerance.

"He's [Andrea Stella] correct that the punishment is not in line with the crime.

"But that goes the same with being underweight, like I was two years ago [the Belgian Grand Prix last year]."

The five-time grand prix winner questioned how such rules would be policed if a degree of relativity or severity was introduced as the cornerstone of his point.

"Where do you draw the line? Track limits... If you go over by half a centimetre, you're off the track. You haven't gained half a second," the Briton added.

"But I think that, unfortunately, sport needs to be zero tolerance just to make things simpler."