Mercedes Gives Away Important Points for George Russell in Monaco – An Internal Team Miscommunication Led to the Pit Stop Mistake
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted after the Monaco Grand Prix that internal confusion at Mercedes likely cost George Russell a potential podium finish.
During the 78-lap race in the Principality, Russell received a five-second penalty for exceeding the speed limit in the pit lane. When he came into the pits during a later safety car phase, the Mercedes crew began changing the tires immediately after the car stopped, instead of first waiting for the prescribed time to elapse.
This moment of carelessness meant that the penalty was not properly served. As a result, the race stewards subsequently imposed a drive-through penalty on Russell.
Pit stop error costs Russell valuable points
After the race, Wolff told Sky Sports F1 that the team takes responsibility for the mistake: “We just have to keep going. The season is still long. Last year, everyone said the title was already a sure thing for Piastri, and then the tide turned again.”
Looking at Russell’s title fight, Wolff adds: “Montreal was a disaster because we let him down there, and that was potentially 25 points. But the championship is still long.”
Wolff then explains the background of the botched pit stop and admits to a mistake on the team’s part: “We weren’t fully prepared to bring him in. We had some confusion ourselves regarding the strategy, then he came into the pits and we didn’t let him sit for five seconds.” The Austrian makes clear what impact the mistake had, in his estimation: “We lost P3 or P4 because of that. That’s really a shame.”
Antonelli saves Mercedes’ Monaco weekend
Overall, however, the weekend in Monaco was still a success for Mercedes. While Russell ultimately finished only in 13th place, his teammate Kimi Antonelli celebrated his fifth consecutive victory. The Italian thus further extended his lead in the drivers’ standings and sits in first place with 156 points, 66 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Russell slipped to third place in the overall standings due to the Monaco result.
Wolff describes the mixed feelings within the team after the race as follows: “Part of me is incredibly happy for Kimi. The guys even got me to go to the podium ceremony. They said, ‘This is your home race, you should be there.’“
At the same time, however, he also had Russell in mind: ”I looked at George; he had a weekend that didn’t go well. I want to maintain an emotional balance.”
Wolff also emphasized that the main priority now is to rebuild the team and Russell for the upcoming challenges. After the difficult race in Monaco, the entire team is already looking ahead to the next Grand Prix in Barcelona. At the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Mercedes hopes to make amends.