Dirty air has become a talking point this season in the context of how closely drivers can keep up with other cars.
However, Russell notes that it has also had an impact on his comfort in the cockpit, having highlighted the issue on team radio during last weekend’s Japanese GP.
“It’s been a bit of a theme this year,” he said when Intersport asked him about it.
“But I had no problems with the helmets in practice and qualifying, and as soon as we get to the race with all the turbulence and the cars around, there’s a lot of shaking and difficulty in that regard.
“Cars are definitely harder to track these days than in the past.”
During this eventful afternoon for the Mercedes driver, Russell also referred to a steering vibration during the Suzuka race.
“Yeah, I’m not sure where that came from,” he noted. “There may be a small dish, I just need to assess it.”
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Russell overcame his problems to finish the race in seventh place, after chasing down and passing McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in the closing laps.
The Briton was investigated by FIA stewards after the pair touched in the chicane, but he escaped without any further action being taken.
“It was a good race, a good battle,” he said. “Obviously, I rushed at him a little late.
“I felt like I gave him enough space, but I made a little contact at the top. I was a little surprised to see it continue straight, but in the end I managed to make it disappear.
Russell felt seventh was the best result after starting the Suzuka race from ninth and ahead of Piastri and his own teammate Lewis Hamilton.
“It was so close between the four teams after Red Bull, and you only see a tenth and a half or two tenths sharing probably six cars in qualifying and ultimately you feel like you finish where you started. So we had a bad day yesterday and we paid the price for it today.
“I think it made sense to start with the hard part [after the red flag], it just gave us that flexibility. But I lost a lot of time behind Lewis at the start.
“Once we stopped, the pace was pretty strong, I think, in line with Charles [Leclerc] and Lando [Norris]. If we had started a few positions higher, the race would have been different.
Watch: F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2024 Review – Normal Service Resumption
Dirty air has become a talking point this season in the context of how closely drivers can keep up with other cars.
However, Russell notes that it has also had an impact on his comfort in the cockpit, having highlighted the issue on team radio during last weekend’s Japanese GP.
“It’s been a bit of a theme this year,” he said when Intersport asked him about it.
“But I had no problems with the helmets in practice and qualifying, and as soon as we get to the race with all the turbulence and the cars around, there’s a lot of shaking and difficulty in that regard.
“Cars are definitely harder to track these days than in the past.”
During this eventful afternoon for the Mercedes driver, Russell also referred to a steering vibration during the Suzuka race.
“Yeah, I’m not sure where that came from,” he noted. “There may be a small dish, I just need to assess it.”
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Russell overcame his problems to finish the race in seventh place, after chasing down and passing McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in the closing laps.
The Briton was investigated by FIA stewards after the pair touched in the chicane, but he escaped without any further action being taken.
“It was a good race, a good battle,” he said. “Obviously, I rushed at him a little late.
“I felt like I gave him enough space, but I made a little contact at the top. I was a little surprised to see it continue straight, but in the end I managed to make it disappear.
Russell felt seventh was the best result after starting the Suzuka race from ninth and ahead of Piastri and his own teammate Lewis Hamilton.
“It was so close between the four teams after Red Bull, and you only see a tenth and a half or two tenths sharing probably six cars in qualifying and ultimately you feel like you finish where you started. So we had a bad day yesterday and we paid the price for it today.
“I think it made sense to start with the hard part [after the red flag], it just gave us that flexibility. But I lost a lot of time behind Lewis at the start.
“Once we stopped, the pace was pretty strong, I think, in line with Charles [Leclerc] and Lando [Norris]. If we had started a few positions higher, the race would have been different.
Watch: F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2024 Review – Normal Service Resumption