George Russell wants to see iconic F1 track return to the calendar

George Russell has said he would “love” the Nürburgring to return to the Formula 1 calendar.

F1 cars have returned to the iconic German track this week to complete a Pirelli tyre test.

The Nürburgring was most recently used as a grand prix venue during the COVID-hit season in 2020, although due to naming rights issues, the event was contested as the Eifel Grand Prix.

Russell, who was driving for Williams in that previous instance, is one driver taking part in this week’s test, and made his feelings clear on whether the track should return to F1.

“I’ve really enjoyed driving this morning,” he told Sky Sports. “I really love the Nürburgring. I’ve done a few laps on the Nordschleife as well and really loved that.

“It truly is a traditional old-school circuit. I’d love to be back racing here one day. Of course, we have no race in Germany at the moment and being here with Mercedes, it would be nice to have one back on the calendar.”

Despite the significant running across the test, Mercedes will not be able to make any developmental gains, with Pirelli dictating run plans and fuel loads, while setup changes are not permitted.

Mercedes will also not be told what compound is being fitted to the car at any given time, although drivers will be able to make an educated guess.

Asked if Mercedes would be able to make any progress on its shaky starts during the test, Russell explained: “We’re here because it’s a Pirelli tyre test, so we’re not allowed to do any starts, and that’s the same for every team when they do tyre testing.

“But we’re working a lot behind the scenes, just analysing the data. Our sport is different because you don’t get the opportunity to practice so much. It’s part of the rules that you’re not allowed to drive.

“Of course, we would love to be out there doing loads and loads of starts. We have some ideas where we’ve been falling short on the starts, so hopefully, we can keep going on that.”