Mercedes driver George Russell has spoken about changes that are already taking place at the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association following Sebastian Vettel’s retirement from F1.
Russell and Vettel were directors of the GPDA, which was a means by which drivers could protect their interests in F1, much like a union.
Vettel announced his decision to quit from F1 at the end of the 2022 season and while his departure has been mourned by fans across the globe, it has also created a vacancy in the GPDA.
There is even a school of thought that believes Vettel could continue in his role as director despite ending his association with the sport as a driver.
It is, after all, a position he has had since 2010.
Former F1 driver and chairman of GPDA Alex Wurz had recently hinted that there is a possibility that Seb continues his good work by staying in the committee.
This was further supported by Russell, who discussed how events are unfolding.
“There are definitely discussions in place of how we’re going to go about things since Sebastian’s retirement from Formula 1,” Russell said.
“I think the conversation we’ll probably have with the rest of the drivers in Bahrain, but I’d like to think my workload wouldn’t really change with Alex Wurz, and Anastasia [Fowle, fellow GPDA director], those two are really, really on it, and a huge credit for all of us.
“The effort they put in, obviously, you know, they do this for the love of the sport, and to be on our side and all of us really, really appreciate all their efforts.
“But it depends, I guess it depends how smoothly the season goes as well, if there’s more issues or less issues that totally changes the GPDA’s standpoint.”
Vettel did not completely end his racing days after quitting F1 and has since featured in the annual Race of Champions alongside Mick Schumacher.
However, it is no secret that the German is keen on spending more time with his family and will therefore make only sporadic returns to the circuit.