George Russell and Sergio Perez told to 'stop whinging' after Australian GP complaints

George Russell and Sergio Perez have both been told to "stop whinging" following the return of the Australian Grand Prix. For the first time since 2019, an F1 race took place at Albert Park last week, having been moved back from its traditional place as the season-opener on the schedule.

The event was scrapped at the 11th hour in 2020 and then did not take place the following year, both due to he effects of Covid. Because of original uncertainty over what the rules would be in regards to the virus down under, this time around F1 bosses opted to place it behind races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in the calendar.

It was Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc who dominated the race to take his second win of the season, with Red Bull's Perez second and Russell third. For the Mercedes man, his 15 points represented his highest haul from a single race.

But the British driver still wasn't entirely satisfied, citing an exhausting schedule - an argument backed up by Perez. However, Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott has dismissed the complaints, telling Reuters that drivers "have got to stop whinging in some respects."

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"We've proven that we can have success both opening the season and coming in after a couple of races," Westacott said. "The time for Formula One in Australia is early in the season."

Russell had claimed: "Having Melbourne in between races, especially as a standalone, is too tough for the teams and everybody," via Motorsport.com. "People came out on Saturdays and Sundays to get acclimatised to the conditions, to the time zone change, and it's just too much. I think it needs to be thought about more."

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