George Russell thinks it would be "brilliant" if Carlos Sainz Sr. runs for FIA president

Carlos Sainz Sr., two-time World Rally champion, said last week to Motorsport that he was considering running for FIA president, for the elections that take place in Uzbekistan on 12 December, to run against sitting president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who is expected to seek a second term but is largely unpopular alongside many drivers, including Formula 1, and has seen a series of resignations in the past months, some due to "moral principles and lack of transparency".

With 40 years of experience in motorsport, Sainz -who still races professionally- wants to "give back to the sport part of what it has given me".

While not an official announcement, the news of Sainz Sr. possibly running for president were well received by F1 driver George Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, who described it as a "brilliant recipe".

"It could only benefit the sport having Carlos with the inside knowledge of Formula 1 from a driver's perspective and then Carlos Sr's knowledge from motorsport generally", Russell said (via BBC).

Not a conflict of interest because of his son

The Mercedes driver also dismissed the idea of a conflict of interest, as Carlos Sainz Sr., 63, is the father of the Williams F1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr., 31.

"The president in years gone by has probably been far less involved than what we've seen recently and far less visible. We always knew who the president of the FIA was, especially with Jean Todt, but you're working in the background, you're not working in the forefront. So I don't see there ever being a conflict", Russell said.