Mercedes boss Toto Wolff rips FIA apart on team radio for ‘total joke’ penalty for George Russell during US GP
A furious Toto Wolff sided with George Russell on team radio after the Briton was handed a five-second time penalty during the US GP.
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Toto Wolff and George Russell (Via: Imago)
Mercedes has had a disastrous run at the US GP this weekend. George Russell had an incident during Qualifying with Lewis Hamilton retiring from the race. However, things have gone worse for Russell after incurring a time-penalty.
Race control handed George Russell a five-second time penalty for forcing Valtteri Bottas‘ Sauber off-track in the early stages of the race. The British driver was baffled when he heard this decision and expressed his surprise on team radio.
What?
George Russell on five-second time penalty
Moreover, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff slammed the FIA for penalizing Russell. The Austrian billionaire labeled the penalty as a ‘total joke.’ Wolff seemed to be furious over the stewards and did not hold back his anger for the same.
Total joke George, with the penalty. Total joke.
Toto Wolff said on team radio
Toto Wolff to Russell: Total joke George, with the penalty. Total joke.
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) October 20, 2024
George Russell stuck in the midfield amidst dismal US GP
The Mercedes driver found himself stuck in the middle of the pecking order. George Russell has struggled to show pace against the likes of RB and Haas cars. This could be detrimental to the Silver Arrows’ hopes for the teams’ standings after Lewis Hamilton’s shock DNF.
Although, Russell could make up a few places by the ending stages of the race. It is unlikely that the 26-year-old will stand on the podium considering the impressive pace of Max Verstappen and the two Ferraris at the front.
Certainly, Mercedes would be looking to forget about the US GP altogether. The Silver Arrows will need to go back to the drawing board and understand what went wrong in Austin. Fans would hope that such a race is not repeated in the remainder of 2024.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2271 Articles Published)