Lance Stroll makes George Russell joke over new F1 rules concern

Lance Stroll has taken a playful swipe at George Russell over the Mercedes driver's relaxed attitude towards F1's controversial new power unit regulations, which could see drivers forced to downshift on straights during races.

With the season opener in Melbourne fast approaching, the paddock remains divided over the implications of managing 350 kW of electrical power from the MGU-K units

Russell had dismissed concerns about the potentially unnatural driving elements, comparing downshifting on straights to everyday motoring experiences.

"From the power unit side, there was obviously lots of chat around potentially having a downshift in the straights in some circumstances," Russell explained. "That will probably continue to be the case, but it doesn't feel that abnormal, to be honest."

The Mercedes driver elaborated on his perspective: "The way I would describe it is like if you're driving your car up a hill, you're still going flat out, but you're losing a bit of speed.

"You may just downshift to give you a bit of extra revs to get up that hill. That's how it sometimes feels when the engine is harvesting and you're regenerating the battery."

When Russell's comments were put to Stroll during Aston Martin's launch event in Saudi Arabia, the Canadian couldn't resist a pointed response — alluding to the anticipated advantage Mercedes power units will enjoy amid current engine compression ratio tensions — that drew laughter from those present.

"I'm sure George, when maybe he's winning the race in Australia by 30 seconds in his Mercedes, isn't going to mind downshifting on the straights and lifting and coasting too much," Stroll told media, as quoted by Motorsport.com. "Maybe he will change his mind by then."

Pressed on whether he genuinely expects Mercedes to enjoy such a commanding advantage in the early stages of the season, Stroll remained bullish: "Normally with new regulations, there's always a big field spread. I don't have a crystal ball, but yeah."

Stroll's concerns over new F1 power units

Stroll's comments reflect broader concerns within the driver community about the direction of modern F1.

Several drivers, including Haas's Esteban Ocon, have already warned that lift-and-coast techniques could become necessary even during qualifying sessions.

Russell acknowledged that the prospect initially seemed strange: "So there are occasions that you can downshift at the end of the straight even while you're flat out.

"It felt more bizarre in the simulator than it did in reality, to be honest. I spoke with a few other drivers, and they actually commented the same. So that was quite intuitive."

However, Stroll remains unconvinced about the sport's current trajectory, having completed only four laps during Barcelona's shakedown running.

"For me, I've been saying it for a long time, I think it would be nice to have naturally aspirated engines with synthetic fuels, but I don't make the rules, I just drive the cars," the Aston Martin driver said.

"Unfortunately, I think motorsport has gone more in that direction with, you know, battery power. Since I've been around, the last ten years, even in the race, it's all about fuel management and tyre management, where you're not pushing flat out."

Stroll's frustration extends beyond power unit management to broader racing philosophy: "With the tyres we have now, even during a lot of qualifying laps in certain conditions, you're not pushing flat out.

"I would love to be in an era of F1, where we saw races in the past with refuelling, light cars, good tyres, where it's always pushing flat out. But, unfortunately, we're not there today."