Idman.biz
Mercedes driver George Russell has stated that budget restrictions in Formula 1 prevent him from building a collection of racing cars.
According to Idman.Biz, the British driver revealed that he tried to include a car in his contract, but was unable to do so.
"I would love to build a collection of my own Formula 1 cars, but due to budget restrictions we still only produce three or four monocoques a year. Twenty years ago, when teams could conduct unlimited testing, each team produced 15-20 chassis.
During negotiations for my last contract, I tried to get a Formula 1 car, but unfortunately it didn't work out.
I would like the teams to be able to produce some monocoques outside of the budget limit. There are enough copies of all kinds of other parts. Each racer gets five engines a year. I think Mercedes makes about 60 engines a year. We also have enough rear wings: with high, medium and low downforce. We also have enough front wings and floors. There are at least 10 sets of other parts. However, we only have three or four monocoques. Maybe we should talk to the FIA about this," Russell said in an interview published in RacingNews365.
In the past, teams often gifted their cars to drivers at the end of the season or their careers. The most recent famous example was Carlos Sainz leaving Ferrari: he was given the SF-75 with which he won his first victory.
