Despite Being ‘Second Family’, Toto Wolff Reprimanded George Russell for Costing Mercedes $1.5 Million

George Russell has been one of the few shining lights for Mercedes this season. His consistent performances helped Mercedes remain in the fight for P2 in the WCC. Moreover, he deservedly finished P4 in the driver’s standing and became only the third driver to beat Lewis Hamilton as a teammate.

However, his journey to that Mercedes seat wasn’t that straightforward. In the latest High-Performance podcast, Russell shared facing the wrath of team-principal Toto Wolff after his crash with Valtteri Bottas in Imola last year. The stewards ultimately called it a racing incident. However, both Russell and Bottas had a war of words after the incident.

Russell said, “That was also a lesson for me that you need to look at the overall picture from other people’s view before taking a snap judgment. I was very hot-headed and went over and he [Valtteri] was also hot-headed and the middle fingers were flying and the F and the C words were being thrown around.”

Russell continued, “I was flying home with Toto that evening.” He added, “He was very upset with the situation and pretty angry also because that was the very first year of this new financial cost cap being implemented.”

Mercedes incurred damage of about $1.5 million after the crash.

Russell has been with the Mercedes team since his F2 days. The 23-year-old from Kings Lynn has previously revealed that his relationship with Toto Wolff is stronger than ever and considers Mercedes as his “second family”. 

READ MORE: “I Felt It”: George Russell Speaks His Truth on High-Pressure Relationship With His Father

Russell eventually replaced Bottas at Mercedes as the Finn joined Alfa Romeo and replaced F1 legend, Kimi Raikkonen.

George Russell shares his thoughts about staying positive and taking his chances

Mercedes might have endured one of their worst possible seasons, but that did not hamper George Russell’s positive attitude. His persistence and perseverance were eventually awarded with a well-deserved victory in Brazil this year.

Russell told The Guardian, “You have to just seize your opportunities, nothing is ever guaranteed. You have to try from every difficult situation to spin it into a positive.”

He also added, “You can’t sit sulking that you are not winning. You have to see every race as an opportunity to learn and develop. If you can’t fight for victories, be there to improve yourself and the team.”

Russell has adapted to his new car with the Silver Arrows this season really well. Despite not having a race-winning car, he consistently churned out top 5 finishes. This allowed Mercedes to stay in the fray with Ferrari and Red Bull.

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The former Williams driver will hope to challenge Max Verstappen and Red Bull next season. However, whether Mercedes rolls out a competitive car or not remains to be seen. Do you think Mercedes will win the WCC again in 2023?