George Russell has praised the introduction of a minimum weight limit for drivers in the 2019 F1 season and called on the sport to go further by setting a standard cockpit size.

At 1.85 metres tall, the rookie driver is one of the taller racers on the F1 grid. A new rule introduced this year set a minimum weight of 80 kg to reduce the performance disadvantage taller drivers face and prevent them having to slim down to unhealthily low weights.

Russell said the regulation is a “massive” change for the better, and urged the sport to go further by copying the minimum cockpit dimensions seen in other championships.

“I’ve always been on the lighter side and over Christmas I put on about six kilos,” said Russell. “Not just from the turkey! But also from the gym. I just feel much healthier for it.

“I’m a normal size, normal shape. I’m almost six [foot] two and last year I was 66 kilos. So I’m now 72, 73 kilos and I just feel I’ve got more energy, I feel better. I’m sure my girlfriend would argue I look better as well! So very beneficial in more ways than not.

“F1 really needed that and I think probably the next step is to make the cockpits a standard size across all cars because still there is benefits if you’re a smaller driver [to] cram everything tighter so you’ve got more room to do whatever you want. You can bring the radiators closer in… it’s a never-ending story.

“I know in Formula Two and [Formula Three] they’ve just got a standard size to fit a driver of 192 centimetres. At the end of the day you guys probably won’t notice, the fans won’t notice, but it’s definitely going in the right direction.”

Before the minimum weight was introduced the Mercedes junior driver had to keep his weight low to ensure he was competitive.

“In F2 there wasn’t a limitation but I knew that if I jumped in the Mercedes last year if I was heavier than Lewis Hamilton and [Valtteri] [Bottas] I would just be slower on the stopwatch. I wanted to show what I can do and I don’t want any additional limitations. [It’s] free lap time.”

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2019 F1 season