George Russell Mexico Grand Prix exit Toto Wolff, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico City, Mexico): George Russell surprised many by leaving the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico before the end of the day on Sunday, the same day his Mercedes teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli was crowned Formula 1 world champion.
The Mercedes team confirmed to the press that the British driver would not complete his post-race obligations, including media duties. The stewards imposed a fine of several thousand euros on the Mercedes team as a result.
Russell finished sixth at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez despite starting from second on the grid. He lost four positions on the first lap due to a battery problem and was also handed a ten-second penalty for a collision with Isack Hadjar at Turn 6, making sixth place the best result available to him on a difficult day.
Because he left the circuit early and did not attend the post-race media obligations, Mercedes breached article B10.1.4e of the regulations. The stewards noted that “the driver did not attend the hearing and the team representative gave a statement by telephone.”
Team principal Toto Wolff later confirmed that he had given Russell permission to leave the circuit early after what had been an especially hard day for a driver who had started the season among the title favorites.
“I saw George after the race, in the FIA weigh-in area, and he was obviously devastated by the situation. It was a great gesture of sportsmanship that he went to see Kimi.
I have known George for a very long time. He is going through a difficult moment, but he was also one of the people who helped bring this young man to this team.
So when I saw him, I thought that for a racing driver this is a catastrophic moment. Perhaps today’s race was a small reflection of his season.
It was a race he could have won. We had pace in the car and we let him down on the first straight.
The energy delivery was not what we expected. Right now I am completely on his side.
I have been in situations where something like this is very hard to handle. That he did not attend the media or left the circuit is absolutely understandable.
In fact, I would have been surprised if he had stayed. I completely respect that,” Wolff said.
