Russell: Mandatory rookie presence in FP1 'not a good idea'

Williams' George Russell believes young drivers would have more to lose than to gain by F1's proposal for 2021 that would require all teams to run a rookie driver in at least two FP1 sessions over the course of the season.

The mandatory rule would guarantee track time to young development drivers or drivers who have not competed in more than two Grands Prix.

Russell was a beneficiary of the scheme in 2017 when he enjoyed two FP1 outings wit Force India, but the Brit isn't sure that a mandatory rookie presence in at least two sessions would be in a young driver's best interest.

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"It's a great idea to try and give experience to young drivers," Russell told RaceFans.net.

"But personally I don't think it's a good idea because going into an FP1 session for 20 laps, these rookie drivers are going to try and prove what they have.

"You just can't do that without experience, so if anything it's just going to damage the driver's confidence more than doing good."

Last year, Russell dovetailed his Formula 2 commitments with his reserve driver role with Mercedes, a passive task that nevertheless allowed him to observe and learn from the wings.

"I was reserve driver for Mercedes last year so I knew what it’s like to go to a number of races, that’s probably the most fatiguing part of it."

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