Wolff backs Russell over US Grand Prix penalty but says Mercedes must address pace gap

After the United States Grand Prix, Toto Wolff said George Russell’s five-second penalty was not warranted. “In my view, it was not worth a penalty,” the Mercedes team principal said. He argued that the sanction did not resolve the bigger problem facing Mercedes: Russell finished eighth while Kimi Antonelli won, and Russell averaged a second per lap slower than his team-mate during the race.

Russell received the penalty for leaving the track on the opening lap and returning ahead of Oscar Piastri with a lasting advantage. Wolff said he was surprised the incident had been considered and investigated. He did not want to criticize the stewards lightly, he said, because he knew how difficult their job was, and he had to respect their decisions. As far as he could remember, first-lap incidents had not been considered penalty-worthy.

Wolff acknowledged that the penalty probably made it harder for Russell to secure a better position, but said it did not solve the underlying issue. He said Russell was not three tenths, let alone half a second, slower than Antonelli. When the car is in an operating window that suits Russell, Wolff said, he is extremely quick; outside it, he struggles, perhaps more than Antonelli.

Wolff said Mercedes must work with Russell to understand the difference in his driving and performance, then determine what to change in the car or its setup to help him be fast.