Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits podium unease amid George Russell struggles
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted his discomfort at celebrating Kimi Antonelli’s Monaco Grand Prix victory on the podium following another difficult race for George Russell.
World championship leader Antonelli converted his pole position into a dominant fifth successive victory on the streets of Monte Carlo.
However, his British team-mate suffered a miserable afternoon and finished outside the points after a contentious pit-lane speeding penalty was incorrectly served.
The differing fortunes of the two drivers have seen the championship gap between the pair widen to 68 points.
A rare rostrum appearance
Formula 1 regulations dictate that the winning constructor must send a representative to collect a trophy during the post-race ceremony.
The Austrian executive made a highly unusual appearance to accept the award in his home city after a scheduled board member had to leave early for a flight.
“I haven’t gone to a podium for 10 years because it’s always difficult to balance between one side of the garage being happy, the other one not.”
“Today I couldn’t avoid it because the board member that I wanted to go to has said he needs to catch a flight, and then the team said, you’ve got to go, it’s the home place.”
“While standing there, I’m always with mixed feelings.”
Misfortune strikes again
While the Italian driver has enjoyed an incredible run of form, his garage-mate has now endured four consecutive races without a top-three finish.
That barren streak has seen him lose second place in the drivers’ standings to his former colleague, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
The British racer was previously leading the Montreal event in May before a devastating power unit failure forced his retirement.
“The Montreal race was his to win. We let him down.”
“In Monaco, probably we could have had a podium if not for the penalty mistake.”
Drawing on past title battles
The Mercedes chief suggested that his struggling driver should look to the previous season’s title race for motivation.
During that campaign, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri initially looked destined for championship glory before a poor run saw him finish behind both Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
“I’ve talked with him on Saturday and Sunday – this is a long championship.”
“Last year, I remember people saying, well, Piastri has won that.”
