George Russell said he does not know why anyone would want to change the regulations after the best on-track battle he had seen since 2014.<\/p>\n
Russell<\/a> and teammate Kimi Antonelli were involved in a thrilling contest for first place until the former\u2019s battery gave out and Russell believes it was a glowing endorsement for the current regulations.<\/p>\n George Russell defends F1 regulations with 2014 comparison<\/p>\n Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n The 2026 regulations have had plenty of critics, mostly due to concerns over how artificial overtakes could become with differing power levels. levels, but Russell has often been a defender of them.<\/p>\n Critics would point to Russell\u2019s team\u2019s dominance as the reasoning for his defence of the regulations, but he suggested the battle between him and Antonelli was the best seen in F1 since Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in 2014.<\/p>\n \u201cI loved it,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought it was great, and I\u2019ve not had a battle like this in years.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t seen a battle like this, probably since Lewis and Nico in Bahrain 2014 and these new cars allow you to do that. These new engines allow me to do that.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know why anybody wants to change them, because we had amazing battles in Melbourne, we had great battles in China, Kimi and I have had a great battle today and yesterday, and that\u2019s only possible because of how these power units are so that\u2019s my view.\u201d<\/p>\n Russell\u2019s words are also a direct response to Max Verstappen who has constantly been on the opposite end to his Mercedes counterpart.<\/p>\n Following qualifying in Canada, Verstappen again suggested he would not stick around in 2027 unless a compromise was made.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWell, if it stays like this, it\u2019s going to be a long year next year, which I don\u2019t want,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI can tell you, if it stays like this, it\u2019s just mentally not doable.\u201d<\/p>\n An agreement in principle was reached to adjust the power delivery in next season\u2019s cars, moving to a 60-40 split in favour of internal combustion over electrical elements.<\/p>\n More from the Canadian GP on PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Canadian GP conclusions: Seeds of Mercedes discontent, British bias, embracing unpredictability<\/a><\/p>\n George Russell and Kimi Antonelli errors exposed in gripping Mercedes duel<\/a><\/p>\n However nothing is set in stone, with the tweaks still needing to be officially voted through<\/p>\n Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies was confident the regulations would pass and suggested teams would put the interest of the sport over their own.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m optimistic we\u2019ll find the right solutions,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m optimistic we\u2019ll find a majority of people agreeing on improving the race.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to what matters for the sport, I think at some stage we will all put aside what we feel it may or may not do to our relative competitiveness to do a step in the right direction for the sport. I think ultimately we\u2019ll get to that point.\u201d<\/p>\n Antonelli\u2019s fourth victory of the season moved him onto 131 points in the Drivers\u2019 standings<\/a>, putting him 43 points clear of Russell.<\/p>\n Read next: Canadian GP driver ratings: Antonelli imperfect in victory as McLaren implodes<\/a><\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n